The Unhinging Pursuit of Concomitantly
by wolfofsheep
Summary: I welcome you to a whole different world with all your favorite BBT characters with Sheldor of Galstire as your so called 'hero'. Shenny in the End.
1. Chapter 1

_AN:_

_Hello my dear readers... this was a story I did for the great **risknight** last year. This is by far the longest and craziest story I have ever wrote and am very proud of. It is set in a world I created and has all kinds of characters of all species. I really hope you enjoy it as much as me and Chrissy did... I will post them by chapter since it's about 112 pages without spaces. ^_^_

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**Chapter 1**

* * *

_Pasadenia is a world of fear thrown into the chaos of darkness. Man could not trust another man, and no one ever knew if one person was one of the witch's slaves or just a product of their own devices. Yet, still in this menagerie of untruth and terror… love still finds a way, it still flourishes in the hearts of those downtrodden by their emotions. In this world so fully tainted, a hero would find a way to rise above the tyranny to save those screaming for help. This man, who fears nothing but the microorganisms he can't see, is a man who lost everything but remembers nothing, a man who believes he is above such primitive substances called 'emotions'. All he knew was his name and that he was truly alone in this world… because of a creature so vile in its existence that only one word could describe them… Witch._

* * *

This man's name was Sir Sheldor of Galstire… a witch hunter. Little he did know about his past was that he had to have had a family for his 'Memaw' who had left him his jacket that was impregnable to magic attacks. He found a box with it inside, beside him when he woke… 'From Memaw' inked upon a sliver of paper on top of the box. He also knew that the witch Lordornia Lidia Fowler, the Blood Witch of Pasadenia, and her sister Leslitico Winklivre, the Dragon Child, were the ones who killed his family only from the tales from the villagers. He still has yet to figure out why his memory was taken or as to what it is he truly lost, but he still keeps pressing on.

He killed the Dragon Child and trapped Lordornia, with an arrow branded with the seal of the demon: Bifrons, to a tree where the arrow pierced through the witch and dug into the bark. Since then, her daughter, Lady Amelia Farconia Fowler, has built a fortress around said tree and has become the newest shadow upon the land. Yet, the Lady's power is far darker than her mother's. It can be seen by way of her fortress, it is never in the same place twice. That takes a strong, unbound force to move an entire strip of land with no trace or ability to track it. It worried Sheldor… the darker the magic… the more blood would need to be shed.

Lady Fowler was far from a Lady. She sent creatures from the grave to find the purest of hearts to fill her hollowed chest. An action started by the Lady's mother, but it seemed that she had stopped seeking a heart and just started to send her monsters into the villages just to slaughter the people. Sheldor has managed to save as many as he can, but still… the remains of the attacks stay like scars on the land. Burnt houses and corpses sprawled throughout Pasadenia like a warning flag. What could he do? He had no way of calculating the witch's next move or her current location. He hated feeling so inept.

His two companions have been the only survivors of their own, personal, ordeals with the witches; Onar and Howardrick Wolowix, the Nerkanine and the cursed trinket of a once-man. Sheldor had to admit that though their constant companionship threw off his daily routine of the hunt, he was glad to finally have someone/something to talk to. He didn't know what this newest witch was after and still couldn't quite find the pattern to her madden pace. They were random attacks on random farms, but it was always at night when the moon did not shine. Sheldor hated not knowing something; he had to find a logical solution to destroy this monster before she could claim anymore lives.

* * *

Sir Sheldor of Galstire moved amongst the woods gathering the correct length and dryness of each twig he procured from the ground. He was a man who strived for perfection in all that he did, even if the world was drowning in chaos. As he collected quite a bundle, the annoying voice of the trinket around his wrist groaned, only he could hear it, **_"Good Lord man, just pick some sticks and get this over with- You're driving me CRAZY. And that's saying a lot because I'm a damn BRACELET!"_**

Sheldor rolled his eyes as he picked up one more perfect twig and spoke prim and proper to no one in particular other than the wrist watch, "There is nothing wrong with wanting perfection, my dear Wolowatch."

The wrist watch twitched and the voice filled his head again, **_"That's Wolowix, Shelly Welly! And your type of perfection is in the same line as (cuckoo, cuckoo)."_** The wrist watch made a perfect mimic of a cuckoo clocks chime and made Sheldor scowl down at his own wrist, "You know… I can arrange for you to be a part of this upcoming fire, you ungrateful little trinket!" Wolowix growled inside the witch hunter's head as Sheldor raised a brow at his wrist. The voice went silent and Sheldor grinned in victory as he cradled the bundle of sticks in his arms and made his way back to the campfire.

Sheldor placed exactly twelve sticks lined up in an asterisk shaped inside the circle of 23 rocks in a circle, he hummed an incantation that was a part of his shady memory and a fire erupted from the center of the sticks. As the fire seemed to become a perfect fit within the 23 rocks, a sound of something moving within the woods got Sheldor on his feet and ready to fire his small, bone-made arbalest. He moved his aim to the black blob that bounded out of the woods towards the fire. He lowered his guard at the black nerk that arrived with tonight's meal safely draped in his wolf-like jaws. Onar, as he has told Sheldor was his name, was a species known as Nerkanines. They were gargantuan wolves that normally stood 25 feet tall and were ravenous hunters. Over the years, humans have learned to tame them and have used them for many tasks. This particular 'Nerk' was merely 14 feet tall and had horrible vision. Could barely see the dirt in front of his nose, but had one hell of a nose. As of right now, the nerk stood with a 10 foot hippocamp in his jaws. Sheldon hated getting the smell of fish on his blade, but he was hungry and a fresh hippocamp was very hard to come by.

Onar dropped the half horse, half fish on the ground. He wagged his tail and used his telepathy to speak to the witch hunter, "**_I made sure this one never mated, only ate seaweed that was free of any tadpoles, and never wallowed in any kind of muck at the bottom of the lake_**." Sheldor blinked a few times then stared down at the hippocamp now flopped in the dirt and the nerk whimpered in defeat.

Sheldor managed to de-sand the hippocamp and cut the horse from the fish part. Onar got the horse side all to himself as he cooked the other side delicately over the magically induced fire. Magic… it was a piece of him that he couldn't quite put together with the rest of his life. He tried his best to remember his past, but the earliest memory he could remember was waking up beside a burnt down farm house and clutching a box that simply said, 'From Memaw', on it. It was his jacket (only magic proof at this moment). He took his Stetson hat, and his old hunting knife and he went into the world he didn't recognize.

* * *

The first witch, that Sheldor slain was Leslitico Winklivre, the Dragon Child. She had taken the liking of male flesh and devoured Sheldor's mentor. He shoved his magically created spear right into her throat then opened up her belly trying to save the only father he ever knew. It was far too late to save him and Sheldor took his anger out on the Dragon witch. He took the corpse and de-fleshed her and took the bones to a weapon maker by the name of Steward the Third. He took the dragon's bones and forged a weapon known as an arbalest or crossbow. He even bled the creature out and save her blood in a vial. Dragon's blood was a powerful and nearly impossible element in the world, and Winklivre was one of the last dragons in Pasadenia. Steward offered to stain his Memaw's jacket with the blood to make the jacket impenetrable to any kind of physical attack. That would make the jacket both magically and physically invincible. Sheldor agreed. Steward, Sheldor learned, knew his mentor and offered to enchant the arbalest with a rare, Vulcarian spell that he learned from a scroll, which was said to be of a legendary spell from far beyond the stars. This spell would ensure that an object propelled from it would always hit what the shooter was aiming for no matter what direction the arrow is shot in. It was a spell that swore that the bearer of the bow would thrive and live long just as long as the bearer's needs never outweigh the many. It was a perfect spell and Sheldor gave Steward all the gold he possessed for it.

Lordornia had killed so many… enslaved countless humans… devoured so many souls that Sheldor felt that his fight was going to be for naught. The world had fallen into a darkened bowl of disorder and not much was going to rectify that. It came to the point where man didn't trust man and war, poverty, inhumane treatment of one another, all broke out without the witch even being a part of it. He had to save women from being raped; men from being ganged up on and beaten to death, children being burned at the stake. It was becoming far too much for him to participate in. He hadn't solved the problem… he just added more variables to the equation.

He looked down at this wrist as he waited for the hippocamp to be cooked to the correct degree and he thought back to how he met Wolowix and Onar. Two lives utterly destroyed because of Lordornia, the Blood Witch of Pasadenia.

* * *

_Howardrick Wolowix was an Innovagygr. Innovagygrs are wizards of invention or 'Conjurors' if you will. He was a man that could fix anything… make anything…better anything, but his one true happiness was his wife, Bernaquette. She was one of the Dísir spirits that gave up her spiritual form to fall in love… and fall they did. Wolowix believed he would never get out of the bed after their wedding and he would never ever complain otherwise. It wasn't until he started hearing about the witch attacking villages close to theirs and ripping the hearts out of innocent women did he start to feel a panic he'd never felt. He wanted his wife safe from this insanity so began to build a large, grandfather clock and inside he conjured a protection spell. As he finished the spell, he kissed his wife and told her that he loved her more than anything before throwing her into the clock. The witch, with ogres plowing through his door, walked in to find the man leaning against the grandfather clock's door. He saw the emotionless, lifeless drone of the witch's daughter (said to have no heart) and swallowed. He made a move to run, but an unknown force had gripped him like a strong soldier. He looked to see the dead blue eyes of the witch's daughter glaring at him and glowing like blue flames. The witch laughed hysterically wicked as she walked to the Innovagygr._

"_Did you honestly think that your pathetic spell could hide her from me? Tisk Tisk." She waved her hand at the grandfather clock and Bernaquette was ripped from the wood. The witch laughed again as she rose her hand in the air and Bernaquette rose like a puppet on a string._

_Wolowix screamed for her to spare his wife. His cries fell on unsympathetic ears. The witch made him watch as she ripped his wife's heart from her chest. Wolowix was released from his restrained hex just as his wife's body collapsed to the floor. His eyes flooded with tears as he stared at his wife's lifeless body and his ears filled with the witch's laughter. His fear of dying was soon replaced with his ferocious anger and need of revenge as he lunged at the witch with his bare hands, aiming for her neck. The lifeless drone that was the witch's daughter flung her arm in the air, causing Wolowix's to black out, falling to the floor as a numbed, strange contraption known as a wrist watch in the future. He was only a trinket, but he was given the curse of memory._

* * *

Sheldor was shown this man's memory only one time… the day he placed the 'wrist watch' upon his wrist, and that was enough for him to remember it for all eternity. That was HIS curse… the curse of Eidittik of the north. The Eidittik was a berry that grew only one the Vivemory Trees near the Eerie Lake up in the northern boundaries of Pasadenia. Sheldor ate one and hasn't forgotten a thing since… it was more of pain than a blessing, but it had its advantages.

This brought him to look over at the nerk gnawing on his horse-sided hippocamp. He had found that nerk lying outside a burned building, unconscious. For what it was worth, Sheldor could tell he had put up a fight from the large gash on top of his head. The only reason he hadn't put an arrow in his head was because of the old, woven bracelet around his left paw that had 'ONAR' spelled with each individual letter on a single bead on it. It was obviously made by a child, so this creature was not to blame for the attack. As Sheldor walked into the burnt building, Wolowix had brought the coat of arms crest on the wall to his attention. These people were responsible for paying one tenth of their crop earnings to the witch… so why did she attack them so violently? Sheldor, while deep in thought, then tripped over a body of a little girl. He turned to look at the body and closed his eyes tight at the horrific sight. There was a huge hole in the girl's chest with no heart inside, and the child's face frozen in fear, both her eyes and mouth wide, causing him to nearly vomit upon her.

He closed his eyes and dipped down to force the eyes shut, but was stopped by the sound of a very deep growling. His eyes opened to the black nerk snarling his shiny, sharp, white teeth towards him and before he could explain himself, the nerk lunged teeth first. Sheldor's newly Dragon Blood drenched trench coat was about to be tested. The nerk's teeth just slid off like a drop of water down a leaf and Sheldor flung the nerk into one of the decaying walls.

Sheldor took the opportunity to take out the new bow. He aimed it where the nerk had landed, and the prods popped from the ivory side and an arrow magically cocked itself in, ready to fire. The nerk stepped from the ashen wall and snarled again. With his finger lethally tight on the trigger, he waited for the beast to take one more step, but instead, he heard a voice sing out from the wolven creature, **_"She's dead… you already killed my human… why can't you just leave her in peace."_**

Sheldor lowered his weapon and gave the beast a sympathetic look, "I did not kill your human. She was dead long before I got here… I was following the aura of the witch, Lordornia. Heard of her? Well, she's the one who killed your girl. She ripped your girl's heart right out of her chest in order to give her own daughter life. I… I'm sorry, friend. I was too late to save her."

Sheldor watched the nerk approach the girl's body and his emotions fluctuated as he watched as the cold nose of the nerk pushed against the child's equally cold cheek and it just made the child's head turn to the side. Sheldor could hear his voice again as he spoke with sadness, **_"Her name was Alex… she saw me as a friend instead of an omega runt… a nerkanine on the bottom of the hierarchy. She… she believed in me and I… I couldn't save her."_** He sat back on his haunches and howled a deep and eerie song that made Sheldor's heart fill with unbearable misery.

Sheldor moved on and left the nerk to mourn his loss. He didn't even get to the next town when Wolowix informed him that the nerk was following him. Sheldor, unfazed by the incident, just snorted and spoke loud enough for the nerk to hear him, "If he wants to die… then who am I to stand in his way." The nerk followed him wherever he went from then on in. At first, it had become a nuisance, but the more they traveled… the more the two depended on each other. The nerk would hunt for food and the witch hunter would hunt for the witch… they were a team and soon, they were almost friends.

* * *

Sheldor noticed his hippocamp was now cooked to the appropriate temperature to consume so he made to move the meat from the makeshift fire dogs that Wolowix showed him how to make to hold the meat just far above the fire to not burn it, but a loud scream filled the air all around them and made him pause in his efforts. The scream seemed to have resonated from in front of them. Sheldor stood slowly and gripped his arbalest and let the prods click out as he raised it and readied it to fire at any oncoming attack.

Onar stood and snarled in the complete opposite direction of where Sheldor was aiming. He looked over and groaned. Nerkanines were notorious for having horrible eyesight, but their unbelievable hearing and agility were renowned far and wide. Wolowix's voice filled Sheldor's ears, **_"I can't tell which of you is being THE idiot."_** Sheldor hissed at the trinket and the woods seemed to fall deadly quiet. It almost rung in the witch hunter's ears as his heart started to beat exponentially faster.

In a split second, a branch snapped and Onar roared a warning and he spun around just in time to see a black blur speed forward as steel lurched forward. Sheldor raised his free arm just in time to counter the thrust towards his neck. The fishbone blade of the enemy's glaive slid off the sleeve with sparks of failure. The fully black covered enemy bounced off the hippocamp on the fire and rode the carcass till it hit the amber and ash of the magically fire below. Sheldor stared at the dirtied meal and sighed, Wolowix yelled, **_"You DO have better things to worry about, MAN!"_** Sheldor groaned and pointed his arbalest at the figure, "Yes, but I had that perfectly cooked to 145 degrees and evenly toasted on every side. What a waste it is, now."

Onar slunk to his side with a snarl, **_"Not a good time to be crying over fallen hippocamp. Our enemy is an unknown."_**

* * *

Sheldor stared at the enemy. It was small, probably no more than 5'9, but was strong enough to wield a massive weapon that seemed almost as long as the enemy itself. The blade of the glaive had a large, crescent shaped blade, much larger than the other three crescent shaped blades underneath it. Where the blades met the pole were a band of needle sharp spikes brimming around. The other end of the glaive was semi-circle hooks flying different directions with a long spade shaped blade on the very end. It was quite a weapon, but it was the predator's glowing green eyes that made the figure more menacing. It reminded Sheldor of the Felinex, the cat people. Sheldor took in a few deep breaths and stood up straighter and pointed the arbalest right at the figure's chest, "Your next move will determine whether you live or die. Surrender or attack… either way, the consequences of your actions shall be yours, regardless. Know this… I NEVER miss my mark." A magical arrow cocked itself in and Sheldor narrowed his eyes in anticipation.

The enemy's free arm rose across its chest and flings downward and a throwing star in the shape of an open blossom that spins against his chest for a few moments before falling to the ground below. Onar's guttural snarl brings him back to attention and he looks up to see the enemy in full flight and fight mode. Onar's pounce wasn't aimed towards the enemy, rather than its weapon. Sheldor rolled to avoid more of the blossoms as Onar's massive jaws snap and clench the base of the fish bone blade just below the needle spikes and snaps the huge blade right off. The blade drops and Onar lands on all fours not too far from it as the enemy is flung forward from losing the weight of the blade and rolls to the ground.

Sheldor aimed, taking a shot at the exposed buttocks. The magical arrow popped into the right cheek and a very feminine squeal hits his ears. The enemy ripped off its mask, spinning around. Sheldor watched as honey etched tresses spring and spill around the most beautiful face he had ever seen. His eyes meet the reptilian green orbs of the time-stealing stare and his breath hitches and for once, his mind ceases in thought. He shook out of his momentary coma just as the woman darted her butt towards him, looking down at it with a very angry face, then back at him and snarls with a high pitched voice,

"You… you shot me, you crazy bastard!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Sheldor shook out of his male-induced coma, shoved his arbalest into its holder on his side, and stepped forward, "Madam, I can assure you that I am not the crazy one in the situation. I have been thoroughly tested by countless men. And, in all fairness, you did try to kill us. I had no other choice but to defend against your attacks."

Sheldor was quite irritated by the fact that the woman had not heard a word he just said since her attentions were on the arrow lodged into her buttocks. She was swearing under her breath as she dared to touch it a few times. He approached with his normally fast paced canter, but froze on a dime as she gripped a handful of her blossom stars, "You take one more step…"

Sheldor sighed, "Madam. If I may… I only wish to help with the retrieval of the arrow."

The woman's green eyes made his breath hitch again. She heaved a sigh, "Penelope."

That made his brows touch in confusion. She smiled at his face and his heart nearly burst in his chest as she spoke again, "That's my name. Penelope."

Sheldor cleared his throat as she put away her blossoms, "Why would you divulge your name to the enemy you were just attacking? That makes no sense." He approached her, avoiding his gaze into her eyes lest he go breathless again, this woman was unreadable. He couldn't quite grasp a hold of her and it was driving him quite mad. He forgot that Wolowix could hear his inner thoughts and the damn trinket spoke up in his head, **_"But I thought the GREAT SHELDOR hated 'not knowing something'. Careful there, Shelly Welly… I think your primitive male is showing."_**

She watched him with amusement as he circled her like a vulture. She didn't know he was having a useless shouting match with a wrist watch in his head. Sheldor cleared his throat as if to some unknown force and she spoke, "Hey there… you ok?" He narrowed his eyes at her and she smiled and spoke a-matter-of-factly, "What sense is there to be made in a world swallowed by chaos, anyway? I just wanted you to stop calling me 'Madam', is all."

He finally stopped circling her and pursed he lips as he stared at the arrow, "I am Sir Sheldor of Galstire. I am a witch hunter."

He paused as she snorted, "Holy crap on a cracker… YOU'RE a witch hunter?" She gave a little laugh that didn't seem necessary.

He looked at her face with a stern look, obviously missing her laughter's point in trying to belittle him, and spoke, "I'm not sure what part of my sentence was confusing you… I have no reason to lie, nor can I. I AM a witch hunter. Just as you're one of the witch's slaves."

He missed the woman's shocked expression at knowing what she was as his memory flooded with knowledge of how to extract the arrow without having this woman punch him in the throat. He remembered an older man that was a Captain of squad of men who only wore chainmail. Wolowix went on about calling him Captain Chainmail. The man's advice about retrieving an arrow from a wounded soldier was called 'Misdirection'. Sheldor nodded and stepped forward towards the blonde, "Miss Penelope, though this is a magical arrow, it still must be dislodged from your supple cheek before it can dissipate. An odd man I met in a very lowly town taught me that is best to distract the victim with an arrow injury before pulling so called weapon from the wound." Sheldor stood before Penelope and met her eye to eye as he spoke very low and barely an inch away from her face then he whispered, "He told me that a man would be considered fortunate to have a woman be the arrow's victim. That way…" He ghosted his hand over the shaft of the arrow and leaned closer to the woman's shocked and desirable face, "… a man could never feel guilty for doing being so close to such beauty." His lips ghosted upon hers and he yanked the arrow right out of her buttock. The woman yelped as Sheldor pulled away from her with a grin on his face as the arrow erupted in a burst of yellow.

Wolowix hummed in his head, **_"Oh man… you are so dead."_** Sheldor's brows furrowed at the trinkets song, but he was momentarily distracted as Penelope slapped him across his cheek that made HIM yelp just as she had. The nerk rumbled in a wolfy laugh as Sheldor scowled at him while rubbing his cheek.

She stomped to her broken weapon while growling under her breath, "Jerk." She turned around with the fish bone blade in one hand and her severed shaft in the other with a frown on her face.

Sheldor snapped his jacket down to unwrinkle it as he watched the woman, "Why would the witch send someone incompetent as yourself?"

She didn't hear his comment as she sat on the ground, Indian style, with her tongue sticking out as she tried to piece her weapon together. Sheldor growled at having been ignored and stepped closer. He was about to speak again, but the woman's voice intervened with, "DAMN! Hey… you know magic right… how'bout helping me out and fixing ol' Slugger here."

Wolowix moaned, **_"Oh Lord… she named her weapon… she's just as nutso as you are."_**

Sheldor pointed to the woman and opened his mouth before Onar stepped forward sniffing the air, **_"Sheldor, we have a problem. I smell blood… and Ogres… lots of them… coming from the east."_**

Without a single hesitation, Sheldor scooped his Stetson off a hanging branch and jumped on a rock and onto the back of Onar, who took off towards the east.

Penelope stood and the wind seemed to flow in the direction they ran. The fire blew and dwindled out leaving the woman staring after them… She smiled with her eyes glowing an eerie green and she spoke to the wind, "My Lady… he has taken the bait." Her weapon hissed and bubbled as it melded together and she rested it on her shoulder.

* * *

A mist hovering over a book with tattered pages whose cover was scarred and burned and rotted from time. Its pages wave as if underwater as it glowed ominously. A voice monotone and ruthless spoke, "Rakooth… show me the witch hunter."

An Indian voice hummed from the book as the mist moved as the voice spoke, "Yes my lady."

The mist morphed and made an image of Sheldor on the back of Onar rushing through the woods. A figure, who moved from the shadows towards the displayed image, tapped her tanned boots against the hardwood floor. Her dead eyes burned blue behind a masquerade mask made of human bone that covered every bit of her face besides the eyes. The mask had three sets of horns that waved from the top of the mask; they got longer the closer it got to the middle, the pair of horns in the center curled above into a shape of a heart. The mask was made of demon bone and held unbelievable and unpredictable power. Her long, straight, deep brunette hair flowed around the mask and dripped upon her shoulders. She wore a crimson and black Victorian dress that flowed to her ankles, and around her neck she wore a small raven's skull with two wolf canine teeth on either side of the skull attached to a tattered string of leather.

She reached her black gloved hands and slammed the book, Rakooth, shut. Her blue eyes pulsed in color as she stroked the book's spine. She spun around and a green flame filled the witch's gloved hand and a live, beating heart manifested within her grip. Her masked head tilted and the witch's voice spoke towards the throbbing muscle, "Well done, my Bestie… See to it that he makes it out alive. I have taken far too much of my time plotting my mother's revenge against this low life just to have him going and dying on us…"

Penelope's eyes burned green and began to smoke. She gave an emotionless smile just as Lady Fowler's voice filled the crisp air around her, "Stay by his side… no matter what. Now… GO!"

* * *

Penelope swung the long glaive around her back then stopped it with a swift grip then she lurched forward in a powerful gait and a dust of sand and dead leaves erupted from the ground. She was a blur of black and green through the deaden woods. With one little hop, she launched into the air and kept moving forward; hopping from tree to tree like she was jumping from rock to rock on a skinny creek. Almost to the end of the wood line, she stopped on one branch then her body sprung up high above the river of leafless veins of thorns and branches. She was clearly 20 feet above the tallest trees and almost hovered in mid air. She slowly descended, but got a clear view of the ogre infested town ahead. Fires raged so bright that it mimicked the illumination of a sunrise within the darkness of the night.

She perched on top of the tallest tree and watched the horned, human giants rip through the cabins and snatching up humans and eating them like pieces of bread. If the young farm girl would've still possessed her heart, this site would have sickened her, but instead, she just watched the carnage with dead eyes and just searched for the movement of Sir Sheldon and his black nerkanine.

The wind was chilled by the rush of speed and the coming of winter, Sheldor really disliked his eyes watering as they were, it stung and blurred his site to the passing scenery. It was like looking through a rain drenched window, he couldn't see anything coming and that was not good in his line of work. The smell of burning wood and fresh blood filling the air and he physically gagged.

Wolowix scoffed, **_"Eventually you're gonna have to learn to NOT almost pass out like a little girl at the thought of blood."_**

Sheldor spoke in the air, "Well, when you learn how to NOT be a grown man's bracelet then you will never have to worry about my flaws."

Onar tilted his head to look back at them for a brief moment and he slowed his sprint into a rushed trot, **_"This is not the time to be bickering like two old men. Ogres are mindless eating machines, but they're still very dangerous. We all need to keep our wits about us."_**

Sheldor slid off Onar's back and the two of them stand in the orange glow of the town aflame. Sheldor kept staring forward as he spoke, "Ogres do not know how to make fire."

Onar growled deeply, **_"This fire isn't rampant… It's… controlled."_**

Wolowix and Onar spoke in Sheldor's mind at the same time, **_"MAGIC."_**

Sheldor shook his head, "Gentlemen... please refrain from speaking at the same time... you make my brain vibrate." He cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes. It wasn't just magic… it was being manipulated. There was a flash from one of the fires and Sheldor saw a silhouette of a person then it phased away. He groaned and reached down and grabbed his arbalest, he despised alchemists… and these fires were made by one. The arbalest popped into proper attack mode and he looked over to his nerk friend, "Get as many survivors as you can to safety. I'll take care of the ogres." Onar nodded and raced off.

* * *

Sheldor moved to where he could see the double number of ogres thundering after running humans, he saw Onar bulleting in and scooping up the chased innocents. Sheldor's arbalest filled with a gold energy and formed into a single arrow, aiming it at an ogre with a little girl in its huge grasp, lifting the poor girl's body to its mouth. The arrow shot out in a ripple of a yellow surge and left a trail like a comet's tail. The arrow pierced the monster's eye, stopping its movements all together as the arrow burst into a shard of gold and seeped into the wound, causing the ogre to spasm and drop the little girl. Onar swept in and got the girl to safety just as the ogre illuminated all yellow before bursting into cosmic dander. Sheldor shot at many more until there were five ogres left in the village.

The five left finally realized that something was wrong when they couldn't find any more humans to eat… except one. The Neanderthals were very stupid, but in a group they were dangerous. Ogres looked like 30 foot tall humans with a mean under bite with their lower canines growing like tusks. Their bones of their brow ridges grew spiny rifts that were nearly unbreakable. But it was the three knots on top of their heads that truly made them unique; the three knots were in fact parts of their skulls. It was the best way to tell the age of the ogres, if the three bones penetrated the skin, they well into their twenties. The bigger the horns on their heads… the more dangerous they were. Neither of these ogres had a grand enough crown to be considered the leader, so Sheldor needed to find him. They WERE very ignorant, but if their leader had a ruthless temper and a ravenous hunger… the ogre klan was something to fear.

Speaking to these creatures was a headache in itself, but Sheldor needed this to end. He spoke condescendingly as he said each word slowly and sharply, "Where. Is. Your. Lead. Er?"

The five ogres grunted and stared at their meal with drool falling from the huge under-bitten tusks. Sheldor's eyes rolled up in his head for a second as he shuddered and muttered, 'Oh Good Lord' under his breath. He tried again with a much louder voice, "Who. Is. Boss?"

None of them answered, but one charged at him and Sheldor rolled his eyes and lifted his arbalest and turned the creature into a puff of glowing pollen. This seemed to have gotten the attention of something as the ground started to quake under his feet. The last four ogres roared and left a wisp of smoke in the air as Sheldor could see a gigantic ogre trampling towards them dragging a monstrous cudgel behind him. This ogre stood almost six foot higher than any of the rest and the top of his head was fully spiked, this was the leader. The lug ripped from in between two of the ogres and sent them flailing to the side. Sheldor readied his weapon just as the ogre shouldered his huge cudgel, making Sheldor wince at the weapon. It was a thick club with bands of nails rusted from brain matter and flesh, all the way down the wooden weapon were spikes of sharpened bone jutting out randomly. They, also, were covered in blood.

The mongrel's voice boomed in the silence, "I. KURT! I. LEADER!" He banged his chest with his free hand and roared with a haze of smoke in the air.

Sheldor flinched as the other ogres filled the air with their loud bellowing and Wolowix hummed in his head, **_"What the FRAK are you doing? The people are safe… let's get the hell outta here! Seriously! That… thing… probably won't even notice you're gone."_**

Sheldor hissed for his silence, "Him and his klan have tasted human flesh… they must be annihilated before they yearn for it again. Muscle and size do not ensure a victory on the battlefield. It is the man with the strategy… and, I, Wolowix, am a man of strategy."

Wolowix's voice hit a new high, **_"I'm sorry… did you just say Muscle and Size don't matter? Are we even looking at the same creature right now? LOOK AT HIM! He can literally lose us in the back pocket of his LOINCLOTH!"_**

* * *

Sheldor had enough, both from his ill tempered wrist watch and the grumbling of the bad tempered ogre. He raised his arbalest and shot an arrow into the smoothed chest of the snarling ogre. Sheldor's brows shot right up as the arrow shattered… nothing happened. He could hear Wolowix start uttering some Hebrew prayer gibberish. These creatures were stupid… but the person who sent them wasn't. Whoever they were knew how to magic proof the lead moron. In anger, Sheldor shot the remaining four ogres and evaporated them into dandelion seeds into the wind, he didn't need five charging ogres coming at him, and so he turned it into just one.

Kurt bellowed loudly with his cudgel held high and menacingly above his head in the flame tinted night sky. He lunged and swung the cudgel down hard and fast, Sheldor rolled to the side and barely avoided the debris from the smash. Kurt's shoulder-muscle tensed and he yanked his cudgel out of the ground. Sheldor got to his feet and shot a few more arrows towards him and they bounced of him like a handful of glitter. Kurt raised the cudgel high in the air again and stomped forward, before he could swing his weapon down, Onar bolted into the sky and wrapped around Kurt's forearm and latched his fangs and claws into the tender flesh. The ogre screamed and the cudgel fell to the ground heavily.

Kurt swung his arm to rid himself of the pain. He slung the nerk against the decaying walls of the cabins, but still couldn't shake him off. Sheldor tried to shoot the ogre again and again, but his arrows fizzled before they even got to him. He watched in horror and as the ogre finally slammed the nerk into the thick, unforgiving trees and Onar finally was forced to release his grip. Sheldor went to run to his side, but the nerk growled for him to stay back. It was good advice as Kurt took his hamfist and grabbed the nerk in a choking grip. Anger was written all over the ogre's face and Sheldor started to pick up rocks and throw them at the ogre while yelling. Wolowix's voice came into his mind very whiny and worried, **_"Is this what the great Sheldor is reduced to… throwing rocks and tantrums… DO SOMETHING! He's gonna EAT HIM!"_**

Sheldor muttered, "Magic doesn't work… there is… there is NOTHING I CAN DO!" He felt a desperation as Onar was lifted to the ogre's mouth. Then… everything stopped. The wind… the sounds… even the cold stopped, energy was building and it was strong. Even the ogre had to pause at its enormity. Sheldor saw the fear in the eyes of the ogre and in Onar's, they were staring at something above. He turned and looked up at the tallest tree, where an aura like a super nova pulsed in the darkness of the night sky… green like an emerald. In the middle of this aura was a black figure… Sheldor recognized it immediately and he whispered her name, "Penelope…"

* * *

The figure burst from her perch and the speed was almost incalculable. She raised her glaive and drove the fish blade horizontally into the face of Kurt, riding the momentum of the collision as it sent a physical ripple of power that surged throughout the ogre's entire body. He released Onar and the nerk rolled onto the ground as the ogre tilted and fell to the ground. Penelope looked as if she were claiming land as she rode the shock wave of the fall. One hand stayed on the glaive as the aura pulsed in a menacing manner.

Onar got up and slowly made his way to Sheldor's side as he turned and watched the woman with very dark eyes. Sheldor didn't like this, this woman was much more powerful than he imagined. But… it wasn't coming from her… it was coming from her weapon. He stared as the ogre's body began to gel and glow an unnatural green; the flesh, the bone, and the soul of the ogre were now nothing but an eerie green glowing blob that began to seep into the glaive. He narrowed his eyes as the glaive grew, not a significant amount, but enough to worry the witch hunter... but the fact that the magically induced fire that had engulfed the town dissipated… DID.

When the ogre's essence was fully absorbed, the glaive was lifted and the horrid aura disappeared. Penelope turned and the glow she had in her eyes dulled into her normal gaze and she smiled. She shouldered her glaive and almost skipped towards him, but Onar moved in between them and snarled, she stopped and looked at the nerk with shock, "Is that how you thank someone for saving your lives… no wonder you guys are alone."

Sheldor narrowed his eyes and Onar blared his telepathy towards everyone in the vicinity, **_"You work for Lady Fowler and you possess a Soul Eater… you're more of a monster than HE was!"_**

Sheldor eyeballed the glaive and it seemed to be almost alive… **_"It healed itself… Sheldor… this woman is damn near as dangerous as the witch herself,"_** Wolowix whimpered in his head. Sheldor shook his head and whispered, "No… she's much more dangerous than the witch… she has nothing to lose." He swallowed and moved stand in front of Onar and stared at Penelope. She seemed hurt by the growling, but at the same time… she seemed aloof and emotionless. He shook his head, "Why have you saved us from an attack that was obviously staged by one of your own?"

She looked at him with a truthful confusion and she backed up a little, she looked like a regular female woman, but he could not allow his guard to drop, "This fire was created by a chemical means… an alchemist most likely. That ogre was completely susceptible to magic. I know you have the attention span of a fairy gnat, but you aren't stupid. The person who did all this forgot that the witch wants me and my friends alive… so you had to clean up their mess. Beautiful AND menacing… no wonder the witch choose you."

Penelope made no emotional facial expression… she stuck her glaive to the ground and gripped the shaft as she had a gaze battle with the witch hunter. She sighed, "So… where does this leave us?" She said with a smile before continuing, "You know who I am and you know what I'm capable of… does that mean you're afraid of me? Is the great Sheldor of Galstire afraid of a little girl from Omashire?"

Sheldor narrowed his eyes; she was a farm girl… He rolled his eyes and moved to Onar's side and hopped onto the nerk's back. He and Onar turned and left the woman shaking her head with a smirk. He headed towards the survivors and wondered what Lady Fowler's plan was for sending a very pretty farm woman.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Sheldor assured the villagers that the ogres were all dead and left them a large amount of gold to fix their repairs and left the village without so much as a thank you sent their way. Wolowix chimed in, as they rode off, **_"You'd probably get more thank yous if you'd stop calling all the villagers idiots… but hey… what do I know… I'm just some guy's wrist watch."_**

Onar snorted as they headed east, with the west coast's ocean to their backs, this meant more open land and a whole lot more monsters. Sheldor knew that the canyons of LonLary were not too far from the village they just left… and the village where he woke up from was not too far past the LonLary canyons. He swallowed at the thought, Galstire… it was a small farming town, but he couldn't remember anything past that.

He focused, instead, on the LonLary canyons. They were actually quite beautiful if you were to look past the incredibly dangerous creatures that lurked within it. The walls of the canyons were black with red clay stripes within them. The blackened minerals had twinkles of Adamantine lustre all through it making the canyon look like the night sky even in the daytime. The walls were very tall and had small crevices hidden all along the divots and jutting plateaus. There were small holes into the floor of the 6 mile trail of the canyon… these were made by Sandwyrms. A creature not too many people get to tell stories about since the only time anyone sees them… they've already eaten you. He knew better… their group would travel on top of the canyons.

The top of the canyons weren't any safer. They were an oasis of trees, waterfalls, and high grass. It was weird, because in the center of the canyon is just the black walls of stardust, but… on the other side was a cornucopia of jungles and rivers. You could see the bipolar scenery on top of the canyon, which Sheldor loved. LonLary had one creature that Sheldor had never had the privilege of having tried to be killed by… and that was the Nowitzkisaurus. This creature was a red backed spinosaur with a long snout and a highly analytical brain, a reptile that learned and processed as it hunted. Something Sheldor wanted to see BUT avoid at all costs.

Wolowix chimed into his head, **_"The beautiful blonde is still following us."_**

Sheldor looked over his shoulder, "What is it with these incessant creatures wanting to follow me."

Onar grunted, **_"HEY!"_**

Sheldor patted his friend's head, "There, There…"

Onar grumped and kept moving as Sheldor looked over his shoulder again and yelled out to the woman, "Why don't you go ahead and get your homicidal tendencies over with so we can end this ridiculous charade?"

* * *

The blonde, a good 30 yards back from them, just smiled and kept leaping tree to tree. Sheldor beckoned Onar to stop and turn. Penelope stopped and looked down at them and sighed, taking one long jump and landed right in front of them. Onar gave a growl as Sheldor narrowed his eyes. Her glaive had attached to her back in some mysterious fashion and she looked up at Sheldor, "Look… my objective is to keep you alive. When that changes… you'll be the first to know. I promise." She gave an amused smile and Sheldor rolled his eyes. He motioned for Onar to turn and move forward and Onar obliged. Penelope just watched them walk away with a little bit of apprehension… until Sheldor turned his head to talk over his shoulder, "Do try and keep up, Miss Penelope."

She gave a smile that only she could see and she leapt into the trees.

The canyon's top was narrowing as they continued, trees stemmed from the base of the wall. Songs of birds and insects began to fill the air as the sun reached over the horizon. It was beautiful to see the misty fog lower and rise into the craters within the canyon. Onar sent him a telepathic message of needing food and Sheldor complied with a stomach growl.

Sheldor found a clearing within a wooded area and went off to find decent fire wood as Onar raced off to hunt. It was the routine that they all agreed on and it worked, although Sheldor never said it out loud, the nerk was far better at hunting than he was. As Sheldor picked up a few sticks, he got lost in his thought… so much so that he missed the small, poisonous, six-headed Scylla hanging from a branch and rearing up to strike. Wolowix's scream of warning wasn't in time, the Scylla struck, but it never reached to Sheldor (who could only grip the branches in his arms tighter). Penelope dove down and swung her glaive quickly and the snake's heads fell to the ground like sodden grapes. She shouldered her weapon with a smile and Sheldor just stared at her in wonder.

She got a little twitchy underneath his scrutinizing gaze and he finally just stepped around her and headed back to the camp site. She turned her head and smiled after him.

* * *

Sheldor placed the armful of branches he had and rearranged them in the shape before starting a fire. He scowled at his weakness, but more so at the fact that he was saved by that… WOMAN. Wolowix's voice cut through to almost slap him in the face, **_"You are one sore loser. I mean… I understand not wanting to be bested by a woman, but really… look at her... she's absolutely gorgeous… I wouldn't mind losing to her all… night… long."_**

Sheldor rolled his eyes at the horn dog in his mind as his eyes fell to her form; she was quite aesthetically pleasing to the eye. As she moved to a rock across the fire from him, he watched her curves and every movement she made. When she spun and sat on the rock, she caught him staring and he twisted his head as fast as he could from her form, he was just as pathetic as his wrist watch. He groaned mentally.

Onar came trotting back into the camp a short time after and had a huge, 80 point white stag dead and hanging from his jaws. Sheldor stood and was mesmerized by the beast, he could imagine it being quite a beauty to see, but the blood stained white pelt made him gag and withdraw a little. Penelope's gasp threw both Sheldor and Onar off a bit, for a woman possessed by a witch, the sight of death should've been nothing, but her voice was still very saddened and feminine as she cried, "Oh my God! That's a white stag! They're damn near spirits of the forest! They're sacred in my village! How could YOU!"

Onar found a clean spot to place the corpse and he did so as delicately as possible. He growled and used to telepathy to ring out, **_"Don't get your knickers in a twist. There are a lot more of him out there. I picked the slowest and oldest of the herd. It's a duty of the predator to cull the weakest of the prey. We ensure that the herd gets stronger and healthier. And… what would a heartless drone care, anyways?"_**

She looked hurt as she hugged herself at the last part of the nerk's statement and mumbled something. Sheldor looked up at her and took out his blade, "What was that?"

She sighed and looked to the side and blinked hard, "I said… my father used to raise white stags. They're apart of my family... Were... were apart of my family."

That made Onar's ears drop. Being a part of a human family opened him up to knowing how much 'FAMILY' actually meant, he offered an apology telepathically and the woman gave a soft smile towards the nerk. Sheldor shook his head and muttered an incantation over his knife, it would ensure the safety of the cut as well as enhance the sharpness to make it feel as though he were cutting water. He allowed Wolowix to use what little magic he could to hang the corpse up in mid air with its legs apart as Sheldor easily decapitated it. The heavy horned head fell to the ground like an anvil.

Sheldor then began to properly field dress the kill by removing the innards and draining the blood. For the weak stomached witch hunter… this was by far the worst part. He nearly upchucked as the intestines slopped out and dripped to the ground below then having to watch Onar eat them like spaghetti wasn't all that scrumptious either. He finally hollowed out the body to where he could get to the good chunks of meat that he found edible.

He used his magic to scatter the blood and crude off his hands like same poles of a magnet trying to come together. He smiled and picked up a pebble and muttered. He held the pebble in the air like a newly born king, then jerked his hands as if trying to pull the rock apart… the little stone morphed into a long, thin piece of metal and he placed it upon the fire. He turned back to the hanging kill and bowed his head and muttered another incantation and the body caught on fire with a black flame and it went from the headless neck upwards till it got to the feet and the flame was gone… along with all the hair on the body. Sheldor smiled and lifted his hand with the watch and spun his hand and the corpse obeyed. The back was splayed out before him and he took his blade again and started cutting the back muscles flesh closest to the rump. He cut them in strips and threw the thick, skinned meat right onto the metal on the fire. It hissed as it touched the metal and sent mouthwatering aromas into the air. He put as much as seven more on the slab until most of the loin meat was gone.

* * *

The venison cooked slowly on the slab, Sheldor had conjured up some tools to help to cook as well as plates and eating utensils. He sliced and diced the meat into edible bites and cooked them as thoroughly as needed to ensure a safely digestible meal. He placed an equal amount on each plate and handed one towards Penelope. She took it with a big smile and a small whisper of gratitude for him, Onar, AND the stag. He looked back at the wasted meat of the stag and Wolowix let it drop as Onar took care of the corpse.

Sheldor looked across the fire and watched her for a moment. It was obvious she had never tasted venison before because her face was unsure as she took the meat up to her mouth. It was twisted in repulsion until she placed the chunk of meat into her mouth and chewed it a few times, her face relaxed until it was in a smile of acceptance. He found a sense of pride that the woman accepted his meal with a smile. She looked up towards him and his eyes went wide and he jolted his head downwards and started to eat. He scowled at Wolowix's voice in his head, **_"Real smooth."_**

Sheldor growled for him to be quiet as he continued eating. Penelope stood up and walked towards him and he flinched until he noticed her trying to hand him something. It was a water bag made of some kind of animal skin; it looked to be feline by the fur pattern. He looked up at her and she smiled, "Two headed Nemean Lion… didn't stand a chance, really… it's enchanted wine… the finest the Gods have to offer."

Sheldor shook his head, "I do not partake in intoxicating liquids. I find my mind is far too important to stymie with such provocative means. Thank you, though."

He drank from a cup he conjured and finished his meal as he dared to look past the fire at the blonde enjoying her meal.

* * *

With lunch well behind them, they all voided their bladders and what not, and then Sheldor took his mount on the back of the nerk. They continued their travels to the east as Penelope took point, it gave the three men a very nice view of the woman's swaying backside. After a few sickened responses both from the nerk AND the wrist watch… Sheldor decided to place his eyes upon the ever narrowing land. The grass, the trees, and the scenery began to shift into the black sand of the canyon. On the left, there was a crater filled with blossoming tree tops and sounds of wild animals bellowing and on the right was the steep, black walls of the canyon that seemed to get longer and longer the further it went. At the bottom of this was the red clayed path that led all the way through the canyon, but was also were the Sandwyrms hunted. Sheldor swallowed at the skeletons of all types at the bottom and he knew he never wanted to tangle with them if he could avoid it.

Penelope's sudden stop jolted both Onar AND Sheldor from their thoughts and Sheldor was about to yell at the woman for the unsafe way she stopped, but he could see Onar's ears shoot up and his focus highly alerted to something and he looked between the erect ears of the nerk to see an Allosaurus devouring its freshly killed Sleipnir. Onar's telepathy rang out silently to those around him, **_"Back. Up. Slowly."_**

Onar moved backwards with his four legs slowly inching back as Penelope did the same with her two little legs. Onar's rough paws caused friction against the black turf of the canyon and caused a loose rock to tumble loudly down the canyon's steep walls. Everyone closed their eyes as if being caught by their parents after trying to sneak upstairs. The Allosaurus raised its gargantuan head towards the sound as gore and bile drooled down the side of its scales mouth. The 28 foot tall mammoth stomped around to square up to them and it bellowed loudly to signal that it spotted them. As its roar filled their ears, Onar filled their heads, **_"RUN!"_**

* * *

Onar and Penelope spun to run, but an even larger dinosaur lurched out of the clearing. A massive foot that could've crushed all of them slammed down and cut off their escape. Sheldor's eyes went extremely wide as he recognized the beast instantly. Almost 70 foot tall, a long, wide snout, giant spiny sail protruding from the back, and almost a red stain drifting all down the back… it was the Nowitzkisaurus. The smartest, largest, and most diabolical dinosaur ever encountered by man. Sheldor could only curse as the dino's eye hit his, "Drat! Onar… QUICK… down the canyon side! NOW!"

As he screamed, the Allosaurus charged with its mouth wide open. The Nowitzkisaurus snorted and waited until the monster was close enough. Penelope had already leaped down to the next flat layer of the canyon, but Onar was not fast enough. The Nowitzkisaurus swung her tail and it sent the Allosaurus off the side of the cliff and its flailing tail hit Onar and sent them both careening off the cliff. Sheldor was lucky enough to roughly roll onto the flat surface where Penelope was, but Onar rolled off. He dug his paws into the black sand and eventually slowed himself down while the Allosaurus tumbled all the way down to the red clay bottom and hit with a loud grunt.

Penelope helped Sheldor up then ran to the side to see Onar leaping to the next flat land of the canyon. Sheldor stepped beside her and stared at the Allosaurus that just got to his feet. He let out a terrible roar then… a squeal of pain. Sheldor could see the Sandwyrms swarming like piranhas and they tore the Allosaurus apart in mere minutes. Penelope yelped in disgust and turned her head making Sheldor turn to look at her. At that moment, he could see something different in her… something… a roar from above stopped his thoughts short and he and Penelope looked up to see the long, large crocodile-like head peek over the side and Sheldor felt a moment of panic as the beast looked and moved her body to start sliding down the steep hill. Penelope let out, "Oh BALLS!" and they both took off running.

The flat land of the top shelf of the canyon was wide enough for the Nowitzkisaurus to run forward fairly easily. Sheldor took the lead of the couple and could feel anxiety catching up to him. He could hear and feel the Nowitzkisaurus changing gaits to catch them and he knew they needed a plan… that's when he saw it... a small enough crevice to allow them refuge from the creature's long snout within the canyon's wall. He adjusted his direction and Penelope could see it too. He stopped abruptly and slid into the sharpened walls of the not so deep crevice. It was almost the size of double wide outhouse. He moved as far back as he could since the little crevice tended to dip down instead of out. He ended up on his butt with a good 7 foot to the opening. Penelope's squeal filled the small area and she dove in, it was a bad move on her part as the sharpened edges of the opening cut the top of her thigh and she was barely in the hole. Sheldor's eyes open wide as the grayish blue eyes of the Nowitzkisaurus gazed into the hole. The large pupils constricted to a long slit and the dino moved to rearrange herself. He saw the muzzle speed towards the hole and Sheldor swept his left arm quicker than any human could and yanked Penelope back as he propelled them as far back into the crevice as possible.

* * *

Sheldor's arm snaked around the woman, landing right in his lap as the tip of the Nowitzkisaurus's muzzle slams into the small hole. Blood drizzled off the snout as it snaps and spins.

Sheldor and Penelope kick their feet away from the ever closing jaws. Penelope's screams only magnify her kicking power and rattle Sheldor's nerves. He watches the small opening of the monstrous jaws and grabs his arbalest with his free hand. It pops itself ready and Sheldor uses his patient and scientific mind to calculate the approximate angle and time to shoot. He saw his moment and took it without a single hesitation; the golden arrow curved in and hits the back of the monster's throat causing it to erupt like a firework. The power of the arrow sent the Nowitzkisaurus stumbling backwards as the stardust rained from the monster's mouth. With a yelp of pain, the Nowitzkisaurus shook her mighty head, climbing the canyon wall to escape having it happen again.

Sheldor was panting with his arbalest still pointing to where the Nowitzkisaurus's snout was and his arm still snaked around Penelope. Penelope leaned back and collapsed against him as she let out a huge sigh of relief then hissed in pain a little as her hand fell to her sliced thigh. Sheldor finally dropped his arbalest and noticed that his hand was flat on the woman's stomach. He began to twitch and shake, she was… she was warm and soft… and she smelled like… apples, but she was far too close for comfort. He slowly removed his arm from around her and she turned to look at him. She… she looked just as embarrassed as he was and she spoke, "I… I'm sorry." She tried to get off of him, but her leg seemed to give out. He caught her and brought her down to the crevice's floor, her body now facing him.

He saw her clutching her thigh and he saw how deep it was… he gagged a little at the layers of muscle showing, he caught his breath, nodding. He pushed her hand away from the wound and slipped his fingers into the black fabric of her pants to place his five fingers into an intricate position around the wound. He felt her tense and assumed it was from the pain and he muttered an incantation. The static from his fingertips made the woman gasp and jerk under his touch, but she didn't flail away. After a few measly moments, Sheldor opened his eyes and the wound was closed perfectly… nothing showing that she had received a horrible wound other than her torn pants, but blood slid down Sheldor's nose and he just wiped it up as if it were nothing. He looked at Penelope's electric eyes and she rubbed her leg and smiled at him, "Thank you."

Sheldor was about to wave off that she needn't thank him when she closed the gap… Sheldor gasped as the woman was a mere breath away from kissing him, but she stopped before her lips could touch his. Her eyes were closed, her lips pursed, biting down hard as if angry with herself or in utter pain than awkwardly crawled backwards to her feet and out the crevice's hole. Sheldor shuddered at how close the woman had gotten and how fast she was. He took in a deep breath as Wolowix chimed in, **_"Out of all the monsters the witch has sent after you... I think this one might be the one that will kill you. I think you just might let her, too. Who knows… you might actually enjoy it."_**

Sheldor shook his head and stood up then dusted himself off and muttered, "Oh… shut it you horrid trinket." Wolowix chuckled and Sheldor just scowled deeply.

* * *

Outside the canyon, Sheldor was relieved to see Penelope taking point again. He just watched the way she moved, her every movement was almost catlike. He tried to justify staring at her by bringing his attention to the fact that her glaive was missing. It worked in distracting him as he narrowed his eyes. Before her could ask her anything about it, the weapon in question twirled from mid air and flew till it was at the woman's back, then it did one more sharp turn and it rested at her back. It made the witch hunter swallow and he made sure to keep his eye on the weapon from now on.

They traveled in silence for the next few miles until Sheldor found the silence far too unbearable. He cleared his throat and stared up at the black and red clay canyon walls and spoke, "Are you aware that there are nearly 55 major sedimentary rock layers exposed in the LanLary canyons. The layers are black because of all the volcanic and animalistic activity and the fossilized increments over the period of 2 million years. The volcanic soil has allowed the growth of the flora AND fauna on top of and in the basins, as well. There are two types of volcanic soil. Vent-based and Lava-based. Though the volcano itself is now a jungle, the minerals from its once erupting base has placed basalt, andesite, pitchstone, rhyolite, and trachyte all within the layers of the canyon." He took a breath and looked over the edge to see if he could see Onar, but all he saw was canyon side. He looked forward at her and she seemed to just be looking back forward from looking back at him as he cleared his throat and spoke again. "There is a fault within the canyon that is said to be where the source of all magic is held. It is guarded by creatures that man shall never wish to cross. The true guardian of the magic is the Dragon of Life… Ouroboros. Then again… no one has ever found the fault. They are just a story passed down. In order to get to this 'cave'… one must take the red clay path of the Sandwyrms… and no one has ever survived a Sandwyrm attack… EVER."

They walked a few beats before Penelope turned her head then turned it back and spoke, "How is it that you know so much?"

Sheldor kept his pace and looked down for a little before answering, "I am a witch hunter… I have the world at my very finger tips and I make it my mission in life to learn all I can about it. The more I know… the longer I live. It would be crass of me to not seek out the knowledge that could very well save my life."

They walked a few more beats before her voice sung out very low, but he heard it just as clear as day, "Must get lonely out there in that big ol' world."

She had stopped and he paused beside her, their eyes connecting comfortably. He shook his head and spoke, "I'm never alone… I have my friends and my mind. It's almost everything I need."

She didn't show a single itch of emotion as she shook her head, "I wasn't talking about you… I was talking about your heart." He narrowed his eyes, scowling as she licked her lips and averted her gaze as she continued with a gloomy tone, "You spend so much time strengthening your mind… expanding your knowledge and skill set that you completely neglect your own heart. That's something you can never get back… once it's gone… it's gone forever. No amount of reading or learning can save it."

She moved forward again and Sheldor noticed the glaive floating and sticking to her back. He scowled at her words, they were complete nonsense. He jolted ahead to catch up with her and started speaking without any kind of filter, "Good Lord, Woman… the heart is just a hollow muscle vital in pumping blood throughout the body. It is in no way connected to the emotional state of a human being. Therefore, it cannot feel neglected or lonely… it cannot feel love or sadness… it cannot runaway or be taken like some kidnapped child… if it were to be 'Gone Forever' then that person would most certainly be dead."

She stopped and spun on the man and made him jerk back in fear. Her eyes were stricken, but no sign of tears showing. She stepped forward, leaving only a body length between them and she gripped her neckline of her bodysuit. She yanked it down, hard, over her left breast and stared at him. Sheldor almost looked away, but something caught his eyes. He saw a deep, concaved scar with a green pulsing light in the center. The same color as her aura… the same color as her eyes. He slowly moved his eyes back to hers and they were livid and anxious. She released the fabric and swallowed before speaking, "I had a pure heart… so I was told. My family gave me to the witch when I was just 11. The witch, Lordornia, told my family that if they didn't give me to her… she would send the ogres to destroy everything they owned. Well… my family gave me up and Lordornia's daughter burned them all alive… right in front of me. Well, I must have been something special because Lordornia ripped my heart right out of my chest and was going to leave me for dead, but her daughter wanted me to stay with her. I grew up with Amelia… I grew up knowing that this woman could flick her wrists and crush my heart and I'd be dead. I have nothing in this world… nothing but the hope that Amelia will give me my heart back as long as I make sure you live long enough to meet her. So… Don't you DARE tell me that the heart is just some muscle. It is much more than that to me! It's… it's my everything… my… my freedom!"

She moved forward and left Sheldor staring after her. Wolowix's voice spoke to him with a somber voice, **_"This… this just got a whole lot more complicated, boss man."_**

Sheldor couldn't help but groan and speak out loud to the trinket, "No… this just got more dangerous."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Sheldor could see the enchanted path finally dip down and knew the magical path was finally leading them out of LonLary and into Galstire.

Penelope hadn't said a word or even spared a look his way since their conversation. He was thankful for the silence, but he felt hollow and saddened by the lack of her voice. He knew he was horrible with dealing with emotions and even harder in reading them.

She was thrown to the witch by her only family as if she had no value… even HE could understand how much that would weigh on a person. Sheldor couldn't remember his family, did he even have one and would he recognize them if he saw them? It was a constant struggle in his mind, so he learned to shove it away. He was only 13 when he woke up in the middle of the already burned down farm house in Galstire… the town they were headed to. He really did try to remember more, but he could only remember the box with 'From Memaw' written very beautifully in ink. After that, it was just memories of being trained and raised by a man who claimed to be in love with his mother… Eric VonGablehauser.

VonGablehauser was a marauder, at first, but as the witches Winklivre and Lordornia got stronger… he knew he had to put his powers to good use. He taught Sheldor how to place his magic in forms of weapons… how to know when to use magic… and when to use your mind. He taught him that magic must TAKE in order to GIVE. Though the marauder was very smart, he still cut himself off from everyone, even Sheldor, but still… he raised him to be a better man… a stronger man. It was Winklivre that killed VonGablehauser when Sheldor was 18, chewed him up in her dragon form and swallowed with a grin. He couldn't do anything to prevent it… just watched as his mentor was just another meal for the witch. He used his anger and magic to slay the Dragon Child, but he wasn't quick enough… wasn't good enough to save the only person he ever cared about.

In reality, he was much like the blonde woman. He, too, watched his only family being ripped from his fingertips, and all he did was watch.

* * *

They made it to the top of the decline and Sheldor watched as the red clay bottom of the canyon was hidden by the walls of the enchanted path. He looked over to see Penelope stopped on the top and smiled down the slope. Sheldor swallowed at the beauty of her smile and finally made it to where she stood and looked down in the direction she was smiling. Onar was sitting on his haunches giving a big yawn with his monstrous jaws in the middle of the path at the bottom of the tall hill. Sheldor grinned a little and was relieved to see his friend well. Onar sniffed the air after his yawn and snapped his head up and saw them at the top of the hill. He hopped up and his tail began to wag in a happy fashion.

Sheldor had learned that there was a minimal distance to the nerkanine's telepathy, it was approximately 22.4 feet from the radial center that was his mind. It was quite a fascinating discovery in itself as he had to do many experiments to calculate it. As the two hurried down the hill, it was within those perimeters… they were met with happy, relieved thoughts full of 'Missed You' 'Glad you're ok' and other emotional dribble. Sheldor amused himself with the thought that if he were anymore de-evolved… he'd have tackled them and drowned them with drool.

Onar started to trot happily beside them as they all began to travel forward again. Penelope moved forward and stayed close to the canyon wall and Sheldor noticed that her weapon was gone. Before he could question it, Onar's voice cascaded in his mind, **_"She didn't try to kill you while you were traveling, did she?"_**

Sheldor shook his head no, "On the contrary… she tried to kiss me, but she stopped herself and quickly removed her persons very hastily." Onar snorted in amusement, causing Sheldor to scowl at him. When Sheldor looked back over at the woman… the glaive had returned as if it had not left and he hummed in diversion.

Sheldor did not mention the exposing of her heartlessness as he gave the woman a glare of regret. The three stopped at they came to an interesting hitch in the road. Wolowix groaned, **_"Greeeaaatt! Man, this just keeps getting better and better."_** Sheldor muttered under his breath, "What… what is it?"

There, in the middle of the enchanted path and not but a few yards from the exit to Galstire, was a lion's rear facing them and bouncing happily to an unheard melody. Its long tail with fur on the tip was sticking straight up like a flag pole and the tip bounced to the same tune as the butt. The creature was 23 feet tall and seemed to have its front part leaned to the ground and its butt straight up in the air. The three moved to the side to get a better look of the front of the beast and saw that it had a human head and the rest of the body a lion. It also appeared to be male from the testicles and male face. He was humming and had a single claw poked out and waving it at the song while watching a string of ants strolling across in a line.

* * *

Penelope cleared her throat and the lummox stomped and stumbled and straightened to eventually face them. Wolowix snorted, **_"Is that supposed to be a sphinx? Sphinxes are merciless, clever, and downright malevolent… I think this one came from a pride where sleeping with your cousin is ok."_**

Sheldor gave a gaspy laugh and the other two looked at him with confusion. He waved his hands to show he didn't mean it. Completely forgotten that they couldn't hear Wolowix, he cleared his throat and shook the hand that had the wrist watch upon it.

Penelope stood forward towards the male sphinx and smiled, "Hi… is it ok if you could possibly move to the side and let us pass. We're really really tired and would like to get to our home."

The handsome faced sphinx gave a grin and he leaned down to his belly and talked with a cute little voice, "Hey… Ummm… I'm sorry, but I can't let you pass. Not unless you can answer my riddle, that is." He raised his front lion paw and rested his human chin upon it and gave Penelope a dreamy look, Sheldor half expected to see heart bubbles floating and popping above his head. The sphinx whispered loudly to the woman, "You are such a babe… no REALLY. I've seen a lot of women come through here and you are…"

Sheldor had had enough, he cut the creature's game off with an angered voice, "What is this riddle so we may hurry and pass." He stepped beside Penelope with an exaggerated scowl and the sphinx stood back up with a shocked look, "Wow dude… I.. I didn't know she was your lady. My bad!"

Penelope and Sheldor looked at each other with furrowed brows then back at the sphinx and spoke at the same time, "I'm not his lady!" "She is NOT my lady!"

Onar rolled his eyes and snorted as the sphinx laughed and grinned as he leaned down a little, "So… I have a shot, then?" Sheldor and Penelope spoke again at the same time, "Not in a million years!" "I guess so!"

Wolowix groaned humorously, **_"Wow… we might be here for a while."_**

Onar stepped in front the two humans and included the sphinx in his circumference of telepathy, **_"Please… just give us the riddle!"_**

The sphinx poised himself, "Alright… but let me start from the beginning! I… I tend to forget the riddle if I don't." Sheldor rolled his eyes and moaned loudly as the sphinx cleared his throat and started to speak in a deep voice, "I am Zackuberi… Sphinx of the Johnsayl Pride. In order to pass into the land of Galstire, you must answer my riddle or I will consume your flesh and leave your soul to wonder the land. Are you prepared and willing to participate in my challenge?" He waited a few second then almost snapped out of character as he spoke, goofily, "This is the part where you either say yes or run away in fear." Sheldor smiled as Wolowix hummed, **_"Oh Brother!"_**

Sheldor, without consulting the others, stepped forward and quickly answered, "We accept your challenge." Sheldor refused to let this utter idiot best him in anything, there was no way he was in any way clever and he was confident that he could answer whatever the moronic cat-man could dish out.

* * *

Zackuberi smiled handsomely, "SWEET! I haven't had any takers before." He cleared his throat again and popped into his deep voiced character that got another eye roll sent to him from the witch hunter, "Here is the riddle… ummm… uhhh… Oh… OH!"

**"I do not breathe, but I run and jump  
I do not eat, but I swim and stretch  
I do not drink, but I grow and play  
I do not see, but I support you everyday  
What am I?**"

Sheldor squinted and let the information gather in his big brain. He hummed as he thought, but Penelope stepped forward and cleared her throat. Sheldor look over at her with an annoyed look and she smiled and gave a wink before looking at the sphinx and spoke loudly, "You're a Leg!"

Zackuberi gave a huge grin, "Wow… gorgeous AND smart, you're one hell of a catch. That was correct! You may pass, but the others must each answer their own riddle."

Penelope looked back at the others with a mischievous grin and gave them a wink before turning towards the sphinx and smiling, "How about this, handsome… I'll ask YOU a riddle and if you can't answer it, you let my friend's pass… if not… you can eat them and we'll go out on a date. Deal?"

Zackuberi gave a grin, "That sounds fair… Deal!"

Penelope grinned and spoke, "Alright… here is my riddle…"

**"Larger than a mountain  
But smaller than a pea  
Endlessly treading  
In a waterless sea  
What am I?**"

The sphinx looked wide eyed and seemed to go incoherent. The sphinx lay back on his stomach with his paws laid forward and his face went stern. Within a few seconds, the beast was covered in stone. Penelope had bested the beast and in turn… reduced the creature to stone until the next challenge. She did a funny dance in place then pumped her fist up in the air and back down to her side in a show of victory. She moved around the statue and paused to pat the lion on the butt with a grin on her face. Sheldor, annoyed, stared at the sphinx's face as Onar wagged his tail and moved past the statue. Wolowix chimed into Sheldor's head, **_"Sore. Loser. What is it that makes you more angry… the fact that you couldn't answer the sphinx's riddle… or that you can't answer HERS?"_**

Sheldor growls, "Shut it, Wolowatch!"

The trinket laughed inside his head as he moved past the statue to see the group of two waiting for him. He looked over at Penelope with a scowl, but it softened as he saw her grin. She was some kind of witchcraft, that woman.

He joined the two and looked at the woman, "Well done, Miss Penelope. And where is it that you learned your art of deciphering psycholinguistics?"

She smiled, but it twisted in confusion and he rolled his eyes, "Riddles…"

Her face saddened, pursing her lips before turning to continue traveling down the path. They all followed after her and he believed she wouldn't answer… but her voice filled their ears with a low tone, "My father… he was real good at them. Used to ask me a bunch while we doing chores around the farm… so much so that I got real good at them."

Sheldor felt a strike in his stomach at her sad voice. Wolowix's voice made it worse, **_"Man. No wonder you're still a virgin, even your compliments make the ladies sad."_**

Sheldor forgot his surroundings and blurted out, "Shut UP!"

* * *

The echo of his order ricocheted through the walls of the path, making Onar wince and Penelope to stop and look back at him. Sheldor slapped his hand over his mouth and looked positively regretful. He immediately poised himself and cleared his throat, "I… I was not speaking towards you."

Penelope stepped forward with a livid look on her face and she spoke with an almost high pitched voice, "Then who the hell were you talking to, then?"

Sheldor closed his eyes and sought out Wolowix's advice. Should he tell her or should he keep his secret. He never told anyone about Wolowix unless the cursed one agreed to it. Wolowix sighed inside his head and the watch on the Sheldor's wrist began to glow and disappeared from his wrist. Penelope's eyes went wide and she stepped backwards as a blue ghost of a short male with a bowl hair cut hovered in mid air right before them. Wolowix smiled and gave a bow, **_"Nice to finally meet you, Miss Penelope… I am Howardrick Wolowix… I am an Innovagygr wizard cursed by the witch who has your heart. Now, though, I'm just the inner monologue of this nutcase."_** Wolowix pointed his thumb to Sheldor as he scowled at the ghost.

Penelope finally smiled and stepped forward, "So… you're that second aura I kept seeing… interesting. Well, it's nice to meet you, too." She gave a faked curtsy then glared at Sheldor. He swallowed as looked down to the ground and Wolowix came to his aid, **_"Don't be mad at him… he's actually a very good friend. He's really really bad at keeping secrets, but he keeps mine to keep me safe. Don't know why I showed myself to the drone of a witch that turned me into that relic, but… you seem like a person just as cursed as I am."_** Wolowix smiled and Penelope nodded in agreement.

Onar stepped beside the ghost and he and the hologram began to discuss and speak on things as if they had left off from a saved point. Sheldor sighed and began to move forward on the path leaving the two to chat. Penelope hurried to his side and he looked over at her with wide eyes and felt strange, "I… I'm sorry. I wasn't sure if we could trust you."

The woman gave him a smile, "You really are a good friend… No need to apologize." They kept walking each with a small smile and she spoke again, "I had no idea there was a small little wizard yelling stuff at you inside your head… no wonder you're such a whack-a-doodle." He was about to give her a scowl, but the beauty of her laughing face stopped it dead in its tracks and he couldn't stop the grin on his lips.

The sun was attempting to fall past the newly formed hills of the terrain. Everyone was walking and talking and becoming better friends as they traveled. Onar and Wolowix had Penelope in a whorl of discussion about her riddle while Sheldor led the march… antisocial as he ever was, until he saw it and froze right in place. Wolowix's protoplasm flowed all around him as Onar and Penelope had to round themselves and stop to look at him. Wolowix gathered himself and floated beside him and got a good look at what the witch hunter was looking at.

The sign that once said 'Welcome to Galstire' was now covered in a message of blood that now said 'Welcome Home, Sheldor'.

Sheldor began to breathe heavily at the sign and felt something building inside his chest and he groaned to try and get rid of the feeling. Sheldor swallowed and moved forward and Penelope grabbed at her heart as her face twisted in pain then followed the group with her eyes, an unnatural green.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

The town of Galstire was on the southern coast of Pasadenia. On the enchanted path, it took no longer than a day to travel to any spot in Pasadenia. Thus, the beauty of magic Sheldor thought.

The town was better known as the Oleander city for the simple fact that those who lived there would surely come to their death quickly… as if the city itself were poison… much like the _Nerium oleander_ it was nicknamed after. Other than the horror stories of death and horrible poison… it was a fairly quiet town. It was mostly a port city where fishermen would rest and find human comfort. Sheldor despised it, but… it was, as crudely as the saying was, home.

The group traveled down the fish-smell infested streets until they got to a small outlet where the bustling streets turned to small dirt roads and farmland. Sheldor took them to his earliest memory… the place he awoke from nearly 17 years ago. The site was now just leveled land with an imprint of where a house and the skeleton of the barn surrounded by the lethally beautiful pink and yellow bloomed, _Nerium oleander_ trees. Sheldor sighed and decided to make this their campsite.

The sunset filled the sky with cotton candy as Onar was still out hunting with Penelope as Sheldor and Wolowix were still setting up camp. As Sheldor finally got the fire wood correct, he hummed the fire into existence but couldn't help but to feel a freezing breeze fill his veins. It was stinging his insides so badly that he couldn't concentrate on the Wolowix and his banal chit-chat. It was a very sickened, ominous feeling… Sheldor didn't like it.

The sound of laughter shook him back to reality as Penelope's voice sang with an amused tone as they came into view. She rode upon the black nerk with two wild turkeys flung over her shoulder. Onar had three armored balls in his happy, almost smiling mouth and Sheldor had to roll his eyes. Two birds and three armadillos… a great definition of a Galstire meal.

* * *

They all sat around the magical fire as Sheldor ate his turkey and armadillo stew. He watched the woman over the heat waves of the fire as she, Onar, and Wolowix laughed and told stories. He envied her… he envied her every memory of her childhood and it confused him to no end. He picked at the last bit of meat on the turkey bone and threw it into the ever darkening ground cover. He couldn't help but still feel that cold feeling in his body, but the strange feeling of watching her overtook that. She spoke with such vigor and with a smile that could illuminate the night.

He did, NOT, like the feeling of warmth that encompassed his chest as he watched her… but he just couldn't quite explain the feeling and that bothered him immensely. He… he found himself infatuated with her, he found that his feelings, states, and attitudes towards this woman were raging in pleasure no matter the cause. He 'enjoyed' being with her. He disliked using the word 'Love' in his head or in any context, really. He just met her and yet… he feels happy when she is near… that complexity of the feeling involved made the emotions he had towards her unusually difficult to define other than using the word 'love'. He let out a very vagrant sigh as he felt his cheeks set aflame. He needed to get away… and his bladder was the best excuse he could use. He cleared his throat and excused himself leaving his jacket and hat on the log he sat upon. The three barely even registered that he left.

* * *

He made his way around the decrepit ruins of the once high statured hay barn and unzipped his tailor made dark khaki colored pants and relieved himself upon a beam. As he took his final shakes, a voice cut into the silence of the night, "My, my… aren't you a big boy?" Sheldor stumbled backwards as he gave a very unmanly yelp as he un-holstered his arbalest from his side and aimed at nothing. His eyes were wide and his heart was a mile a minute as he searched the entire perimeter and saw nothing. He swallowed and zipped his front back up, taking some calming breaths.

An arm snaked around and affectionately grabbed at his chest. He spun around fast and had the arbalest out front with a purpose, but once again… nothing. Then the voice cut again, but from above. He moved back until he could get a proper look at one of the tall beams with a woman standing upon it completely balanced. She wore a Victorian dress with a very ominous mask covering her face. Sheldor narrowed his eyes and aimed the arbalest right up at her. The woman turned and her eyes burned blue as she spoke in a mildly amused voice, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you… Sir Sheldor of Galstire! Welcome home." The last part of her sentence was eerie and haunted the night air as she snapped her fingers and four figures almost crawled out of the hay barn's bones.

He fluctuated his aim until his eyes flared angrily and his arbalest aimed up at the witch, "You must be Amelia Fowler… couldn't recognize you from your mask… Tell me… how's your mother doing?"

Lady Fowler's eyes burned red as Sheldor gave himself a smirk. She flared out and flared back again right in front of him and his arbalest was aimed at her chest. Her eyes went back to a blue flame and her voice spoke up again, "That's LADY FOWLER to you and... do you honestly think that you can kill me with that little pea shooter of yours? That's quite amusing."

Sheldor did not hesitate… he gave a shrug of ignorance and took a shot with vengeance but the arrow almost imploded as it hit her chest and shard of golden light confettied into the air. Lady Fowler laughed as she flicked off the remaining debris off her shoulder and stepped back as the four figures were now by her side, "I am much more powerful than my mother, good sir. Your magic will not suffice against me… tell me, Sheldor… do you remember… your family?" An orange orb began to grown in her hands and the light became brighter. She stretched out her arms and the orange light glowed against the faces of the four figures. Their faces… their flesh were light gray and tinged of green with decay nearly showing the bones beneath and something hit Sheldor harder than he could imagine… his stomach dropped and memories flooded his every being.

His family! His FAMILY! He began to feel a heavy pull and he was on his knees trying to keep the arbalest held up. Flashes of being held… laughing… sitting around a table eating happily… it was too much. His eyes watered and he couldn't breathe.

Lady Fowler smiled under her mask and snapped her fingers; "Kill him."

* * *

The zombies lurched forward but were stopped dead in their tracks by a snarling nerk sliding between them and Sheldor with Penelope on his back. Wolowix, still attached to Sheldor, warned them of his distress. Penelope threw the man his jacket and hat then hopped up to unsheathe her weapon while standing on the back of the nerk. Lady Fowler's eyes glowed red and she zapped herself to the top of the post of the barn again. A green flame appeared in her hand and her voice cried out angrily, "You. Little. Tramp! You dare to bare your teeth at me!" She squeezed the green aura in her hand and Penelope screamed in pain and clutched her chest. She fell off Onar and before she hit the ground, she was zapped and appeared as if she were being held by her neck in mid air beside the witch. Sheldor got over his memory blast, put on his hat and jacket, and lifted his arbalest to fire multiple arrows at the witch, getting the same reaction from the arrows as before. He cursed, "Drat!"

The witch was unimpressed as she squawked into the air, "Sheldor of Galstire… why don't you give mommy and daddy a big ol' HUG!" The oldest of the zombies crouched down like four legged spiders and they leapt and flipped over the nerk and landed awkwardly in front of Sheldor. He swallowed and took a shot at the male and it hit him right in the chest. It absorbed into his decayed flesh and in an instant… he saw a man who looked proud of him. He smiled before turning into a sea of golden ash. He lost sight of the female and she lunged at him. He was unable to get a shot off, but a blue light formed and cushioned the woman from Sheldor before launching the woman like a pebble in a catapult. He shook his and gave a verbal appreciation to Wolowix as the witch screamed in the air. Onar had the other male zombie in his jaws, using him as a sword… swatting at the other female zombie.

He looked up at the witch and saw her eyes glow green. The glaive that was normally hovering on Penelope's back rose into the air. It paused into the moonlight then began to spin and move on its own. It was fast as it saw-bladed towards Sheldor and he had to dive to avoid the devastating blow. It left a deep slash in the ground as he rolled and grabbed at his hat.

The younger female zombie did the whole 'creepy spider' thing and was now at Sheldor's back. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and attempted to bite him; he grabbed one of her maggot infested arms and flung her over his shoulder. She hit the ground. He saw her face and a memory hit him, "Melissa… MISSY!" She looked up at him with dead blue eyes before pulling the trigger of the arbalest. The moment the arrow hit, he saw his twin sister give him a smile and a wink before she was flakes of light.

* * *

The glaive's whistling speed gave it away as Sheldor dove backwards to avoid another lethal blow. Onar threw the young male zombie towards Sheldor and he put an arrow in his back as the zombie got up. His big brother, George, turned his head over his shoulder and gave his younger brother a stern nod and he joined the other three in the wind. Sheldor's heart was hurting and barely moved to dodge the next diving attack of the glaive.

The last zombie came running with all four limbs then stood up straight to stare into the man's eyes. He felt a burn in his chest. She stepped forward and he could see her face… it melted into a memory… she had scooped him up into her arms and kissed him on top of the head while saying 'my brave little boy'. Tears filled his eyes as the memory faded and the zombie of his mother launched herself at him with blackened green teeth and blood shot eyes. He pulled the trigger of the arbalest and the arrow hit her right in the heart. The glow of his real mother pushed forward and kissed him on his forehead before giving him a saddened smile and drifting into the breeze.

Wolowix screamed at him to watch out and Sheldor dove to the side and avoid another attack of the whimsical glaive.

Onar attempted to climb the barn's skeleton to reach Penelope as Sheldor dove and leaned against the trunk of the tree, his heart making it hard to breathe. Wolowix was trying to figure out why his arrow didn't work and kept constantly speaking in his mind all while he was trying to get over the emotions and memories that were flooding around him.

Wolowix was in Sheldor's head and loudly screamed at him, **_"Take me off your wrist and wrap me around your arbalest."_**

Sheldor shook his head and was back to himself, "Why?"

Wolowix was loud and impatient, **_"JUST DO IT!"_**

Sheldor rolled on the ground to the next _Nerium oleander_ tree as the glaive turned the other into toothpicks and put his arbalest on the ground as he took off wrist watch fast. The watch turned into a ribbon of blue energy and Sheldor held it like an eel. He picked up the arbalest and wrapped the entirety of the energy ribbon all around the arbalest. As the ribbon seeped into the weapon, Sheldor had to dodge another attack from the weapon as it melted through the trunk and turned it into a melting glob of ash. He looked down at the bright blue weapon and watched at the arbalest grew and shifted in light. The prods spun and doubled side by side as the stock thickened and the sight elongated. When it all settled… it looked like a sawed-off shot gun with two bows as barrels and bright, light blue arrows as ammo. Wolowix was now his weapon… Sheldor wasn't too sure how he felt about that, but dodging another attack from the glaive made him find that it was better than nothing.

He looked up and watched as the witch threw Onar off the clearing and rolling not but a few yards from where Sheldor was.

He looked back up to see the green flame in her hand and she gripped it again in frustration. Penelope screamed and squirmed... and he had had enough. He stood and spun with his new bow gun in his hand. His jacket flapped loudly as he took aim; unaware of the glaive behind him stopping and straightening to spear downwards towards his back. He pulled the trigger and two blue arrows whistled into the air. In the midst of soaring forward, the two arrows became one strongly energized arrow that shattered through the witch's barrier and pierced through her wrist that held Penelope's heart. It crackled and seared the flesh of the witch, causing her to scream behind her mask.

The arm began to crisp and break and she zapped herself an escape as she dropped the heart with Penelope dropping as well.

* * *

Before either could hit the ground, the heart flamed into a green flare. Penelope landed on her feet and leaned forward in her crouching position, a green glow pulsed in her chest then disappeared. She clutched at the spot and smiled before looking up and seeing the glaive's fish blade spearing forward. Before she could scream a warning… Onar dove between the glaive and Sheldor and it nearly cut the nerk in half.

Sheldor spun and watched the nerk slide to a stop right beside him. He dropped his bow gun and screamed for his friend. The glaive was buried deeply in the nerk's side and the weapon begun to glow the evil green. Onar's body began to glow and gel and Sheldor snarled, lunging at the weapon.

He grabbed the shaft of the glaive and it sparked violently against his grip. Sheldor bellowed and yanked the damned weapon right out of the nerk. The green tried to take him over, but a searing blue overtook the glaive and it shattered into wisps of blue shards. Sheldor was in tears as he panted while looking down at his friend no longer glowing green… his best friend… lifeless and lying on the ground. He made a decision… and he knew it would kill him in the process… but he had to try. He fell to his knees beside the lifeless corpse of Onar and put his hands on either side of the nerk's wound. Wolowix formed his ghost form where the bow gun laid on the ground and began to yell at him, **_"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Don't do this! It won't do you any good for BOTH OF YOU to be dead! DAMN IT, SHELLY! STOP!"_**

As Sheldor muttered an old incantation, the wound began to glow and blood poured from Sheldor's nose. Wolowix screamed at him more and even attempted to swing at him as the blood began mix with his tears from his eyes and he started bleeding tears. Sheldor just had to put his family to rest from the witch's grip… he was not about to lose his best and only friend.

Penelope pushed her body in between Sheldor and Onar and pushed him away. The blood ceased to flow as he tumbled backwards and regained his posture with a raging angry expression. She stood steadfast, though she was crying incessantly, "ENOUGH! Please… you're killing yourself."

He was in a bit of hysterics and had no way of knowing how to deal with this blaring emotion of loss, "That doesn't matter… I DON'T MATTER! Onar is the only friend I have ever had… I WILL DIE FOR HIM AS LONG AS HE LIVES!"

Tears washed away the blood as rushed forward. Penelope met him half way and pushed on his chest; not letting him pass by her to the nerk's body. She stood, his chest pressed upon her palms, and he went limp against her. His head fell to her shoulder and she sighed miserably. She pushed the side of her head against his and whispered low towards his ear, "I know someone who can help him, but… you have to trust me… can you do that… can you trust me, Sheldor?"

Wolowix watched the two and bowed his head solemnly. Sheldor turned his head and backed away only slightly. Their faces were merely a breath apart as he looked her in the eye and gave a small nod, "I… I do."

She smiled at him and moved away from him to stand approximately 5.6 feet. She clasped her own hands together then brought them to her lips and blew into them, a mysterious whistle blew melodiously and loud. It sung a secret harmony that hung in the air all around them. Within a few seconds, the wind began to pick up around them as if a tornado were about to touch down.

* * *

Wolowix disappeared into the bow gun and Sheldor moved to pick him up just as a flaming, rainbow colored bird lowered itself down with strong, steady flaps of its wings down and clasp its talons around the fallen nerkanine then ascended in a blur of glorious color. Sheldor jogged and kept his head up toward the bird as he made his way beside Penelope with awe sprawled on his face. There was a flash of light and suddenly they were surrounded by small, fluttering orbs that seemed almost alive. Sheldor stared as a pink orb grew bigger until it formed into a woman that landed softly on the ground before them. She smiled to Penelope then looked over at Sheldor gripping his weapon then looked back over at the blonde with a beautiful gleam in her eyes, "Hello, my sweet Penny."

Penelope moved in and hugged the fairy winged redhead and the woman gladly took her in as Penelope mumbled through her tears, "Fair Greetings, Stephinaria."

The redhead pushed her away gently and brushed her blonde locks away from her flushed face, "Be calm… Be still… It has been far too long Penelope. Sad it had to be this way that we meet again, but know that our debt to you will never truly be repaid for all the kindness you showed my people. Ease your heart." The fairy looked over at Sheldor and gave him a smile, too. Sheldor felt his heart lift from its heavy burden… somehow knowing that Onar was in the most respectable hands in the land and he didn't even know this woman.

Stephinaria looked back to Penelope and stepped back with a stern look as she spoke to the both of them, "You all need to rest as your friend is healed. We shall grant you sanctuary, but you must know…"

Penelope finished her statement with a saddened heart, "… we'll never remember the encounter."

The two were covered in a pink tint as Stephinaria fused back to her ball of pink and there was a flash. When their sight returned from a gather of balls of light, Sheldor stepped forward and gawked at the sight before him. Penelope smiled at him from behind as the magnificent kingdom soared into his beautiful blue eyes. It was a warm brownish orange light that took over the sharpened castles and plethora huts meticulously etched into the inner workings of a single tree. There were pulley-systems on high arches made from acorns, vines, and hollowed shells of insects and other creatures. They… they had been shrunk it seemed. Wolowix flowed into his ghost beside him and was staring straight up with wide eyes and a slack jaw, **_"Whoa…"_**

Sheldor looked straight up and joined the facial expression of awe. The intricacy extended all the way up the length of a full grown tree. These… fairies… had made the inside of a living tree into a province of an entire race… and it was beautiful. A plethora of pulley-systems and fluttering fairies traveling filled the lowly lit length and as Penelope stepped beside him, he breathed out a, "Fascinating."

She smiled and looked up with him and spoke softly, "Welcome to the Faery Kingdom of Kardiaflora. Last of the Rellistherapy Fairies." Sheldor looked over at her and she turned to face him.

He looked confused and she smiled, "Healers."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

An older male fairy straddled to the back of the head of a very large garden snake made his way towards them.

Wolowix smoked back into the bow gun as the male fairy's snake slithered to a stop, its tongue darted into the air as the fairy dismounted his reptile steed. The fairy wore a Roman style helmet with the fluff of a dandelion seed as a Mohawk. The fairy had red and white striped war paint on each of his cheeks and he gripped a spear with a cat's claw as a point. The fairy was only inches taller than Penelope as he approached her and stopped a few feet from her. He stomped down the spear's pole to the ground and spoke with a deep Russian accent, "Privet moy prekrasnyy, Penelope."

Penelope smiled, "Privet, urodlivyy."

The Russian laughed and took her into a hug. She 'oofed' as he pulled her into the hug and she grinned, "Long time no see, Dimitri. Staying out of trouble, I hope."

He let her go and laughed, "When have I ever promised to stay out of trouble?" He looked over at Sheldor, who was fidgeting uncomfortably, and looked back at Penelope with a sneer, "Who's this?"

She smiled over at Sheldor, "That is Sheldor of Galstire…"

Sheldor cleared his throat and cut her off, "SIR Sheldor if you please. I was knighted after much strain on my part so I would like for it to not have been in vain."

Penelope tilted her head curiously as Dimitri gave a hearty laugh, "Well, Sir Sheldor of Galstire, I am Dimitri of the Rellistherapy Clan… I am head of the Defenders. I'm glad to see that someone besides a witch has taken a liking to her."

Penelope rolled her eyes and gave Sheldor a wink. Sheldor, in turn, shrugged, uttering, "Alright then."

Dimitri looked at Penelope and sighed, "Nice to see you finally got your heart back and not sleeping around and killing men." He turned and mounted his snake as Penelope seemed awfully uncomfortable with the fairy's last utterance. Dimitri grumbled, "Follow me… I'll show you to your room."

Sheldor shook his head and made long strides to catch up to Penelope. They were ascending the meticulously carved spiral that towered up the entire length of the tree's insides. There were doors crafted from skilled hands almost every 6 paces. They went up another spiral and he could see two arch shaped holes where many fairies were 'shopping' inside. He shook his head at the wonder of such a well oiled machine of this fairy kingdom. He turned his head and yelled at the Russian fairy upon his snake, "Excuse me… I would like to see Onar or at least get an update on his current status."

The fairy scoffed and stopped the snake, "Your friend was dead when he arrived, but the wound seemed to have been trying to heal. Progress of healing someone from their grave takes time and concentration on the healer's part. The best thing you can do for your friend is to rest and wait for his full recovery. Now… as I was saying… follow me."

Sheldor spoke again, irritating the Russian, "Also… I couldn't help but wonder… didn't you mean… rooms… with an S… signifying two or more rooms."

The Russian looked over his shoulder with a bit of malice in his tone, "Outsiders are not permitted to be without a companion. Instead of forcing one of our own to deal with you, we stationed Penelope as your watcher. Be grateful it wasn't ME who was chosen… you would have this spear in your belly already."

The Russian turned around in a huff and Sheldor ignored the man's threat as he blushed. He dared not to look over at Penelope, "But… but no one is allowed in my room."

The Russian laughed and shook his head, "yeblya devstvennista! You have nothing to fear. She's the best bed companion you could hope for. You can't even get her pregnant… be thankful it's her and not Mrs. Willowitz… She'd take up the whole damn room." The Russian moved his snake and gave a huge laugh. Sheldor looked over at Penelope before she moved to follow and saw pain and embarrassment written all over her face. He didn't understand her facial expression.

Wasn't the Russian giving her a compliment?

They followed the long snake in silence for only a few steps. Sheldor took a long stride to walk side by side with the blonde and he spoke in a volume that only they could hear, "I'm curious to know a few things. One, what have you accomplished to be so well accepted by this clan? Two, what, pray tell, is a 'Bed Companion'? And three…"

The Russian cut him off with a loud, "There is your room. Do not wander around too much. We will contact you when your friend is in full recovery. No weapons are allowed outside of your room, so… best to keep it under your pillow for now. Do svidaniya." Before Sheldor could yell in complaint, the Russian and his snake were off.

Penelope smiled sadly at the thick, magically crafted door, and spoke, "When I was ten, I found Stephinaria badly hurt on the ground. She was still in small fairy form and I scooped her out of the dirt. She told me her entire clan was in trouble and I agreed to help her. Lumber jacks from my village, Omashire, were going to chop down their tree, so… I strapped myself to the tree trunk and stayed there for two weeks straight. Stephinaria gave me food and water when I needed it and I used the bathroom as close to the tree as possible. In the end, the men stopped coming and left the tree alone. Stephinaria's father, Goldfarb, leader of the Rellistherapy clan made me a permanent member as their savior."

Sheldor watched her as she opened the door before her. She looked over and said, "A bed companion is a saying used for a person who… joins another… in that person's bed."

Sheldor shook his head, not getting the subtle tries of the woman, and Wolowix groaned and ghosted himself beside Sheldor, **_"Oh My God! Really Shelly? Look… a bed companion was the fairy's way of calling her a 'Whore'… He was insinuating that you two were going to engage in coitus… but you missed a very vital part in the Russian's sentence…"_**

Sheldor held up his hand and motioned towards Penelope and Wolowix fell quiet. Penelope's head was bowed and she seemed almost brought to tears just as Sheldor spoke softly so that no one but the people in the vicinity could hear, "I can most assuredly say that I did not miss anything that, that ill-spoken fairy let spill out of his mouth. You are unable to procreate… unable to bear a child… that isn't uncommon. He insulted you deeply with that negligent statement, I can tell, but know this… it doesn't make you any less of a woman, Penelope."

Wolowix looked over at Sheldor with shock and pride before grinning and smoking out. Penelope turned to look at Sheldor. It was a strange look… a mixture of sadness with a hint of wonder. She slowly gave a heartwarming smile before she looked down, gave a small 'thank you', and entered the room. His heart nearly took flight and he calmed himself before following her. That little smile was quite possible the most dangerous thing in the whole universe. It nearly brings him to his knees every time he sees it.

The room was painfully mundane for a room inside a fairy kingdom. There were absolutely no windows, no closets, not even a bathroom… just a Queen sized bed looked to be made from an amateur carpenter and a bed-side table with an old oil lantern. Sheldor shook his head, "Curiouser and Curiouser… this seems more like a prisoner's cell than a vistor's room."

Penelope smiled and pulled her arm across her chest to grip the other, "Yeah… it does have that 'What Would You Like For a Final Meal' kinda feeling to it." She stared at the bed before taking in a deep sigh and turning to him with a grin, "Would… would you mind coming with me somewhere?"

He studied her face. She looked eager and looked to be begging him with her eyes. He looked around the room and gave a mock sigh of derision, "I don't know… I wouldn't want to miss all the fun in here."

She gave a laugh, "Sarcasm?"

He looked at her, "I thought I was the only one who had trouble distinguishing that."

She shook her head, "Well? Will you accompany me, Sir Sheldor of Galstire?"

He grinned, "Of course."

She gave a happy noise then did a small little dance, "Great!" She stepped towards him and gave a sympathetic look, "Sorry Wolowix, but you'll have to stay here. Weapons aren't allowed in the city."

Wolowix ghosted out to the side with a mocking sad face, **_"Awwww…"_**

She smiled at the ghost as Sheldor took the bow gun off his side and tossed it on the bed with worry. He wasn't too keen on going anywhere without a weapon, but… he was a man that believed rules were in place for a reason, so there was no point in questioning the authority of the place that granted him sanction.

He felt his hat's weight lift off his head and he nearly yelp like a girl. He snapped his eyes over to watch Penelope smile as she pinched the natural crease in the crown of the hat and place the hat upon the bed. She moved slightly to be in front of him and connected her gaze with his. He swallowed, not understanding the new yearning in her eyes. She took in her lips and pressed down then released them and she stretched out her arms. She snaked her hands into his jacket against his two layered covered ribs and upwards upon his shoulders. Her nose bumped his and he turned into a statue. His eyes were wide and his breathing became erratic. Did… did she intend on engaging in coitus? He thought they were going someplace… he… he was not prepared on this onslaught of his persons. He swallowed as she slid off the magical jacket.

Wolowix, hovering over the bed where the bow gun sat, wolf-whistled and laughed, **_"You are one cruel mistress, Miss Penelope. I think you may have broken him? Hey, Shelly, I think you have a bit of drool on your chin there."_**

She folded the jacket with an amused grin as Sheldor turned his head and scowled at the ghost. Penelope clapped her hands, "I didn't want you to ruin your hat or jacket at where we're going. They'll all be safe here, I promise. You said you trusted me, remember?" Her brows were raised as Sheldor slumped in defeat.

They both kicked off their shoes and socks. That left Sheldor in a knitted cotton shirt of gray and white stitching underneath a smoothed furred vest made from the hide of a Minotaur and his dark khaki tailor made pants and Penelope in her black body suit.

They exited the room cautiously. Sheldor followed a confidant blonde down the wide corridors. Fairies in their homes stared oddly as they passed. Sheldor watched in awe as fairies swooped down with their wings elegantly sweeping them to a graceful landing and jogging to their homes. Random male fairies on the backs of geckos, newts, beetles, small mammals, and small birds would casually pass them. Those must be some of the Defenders, very interesting.

Penelope led them to a back wall almost hidden away from the fairy kind. They pressed their backs to the wall of polished wood as they crossed a narrow ledge. Falling would plummet them into a thick darkness below that Sheldor could not see the bottom of. He swallowed in horror until he saw the ledge get thicker and Penelope side-stepped and paused until he could catch up. He stepped beside her and stared at a very creepy, ominously dark tunnel and he almost whimpered. She smiled and looked at him, "Almost there."

He faked a smile until she lurched forward then his smile grimaced and whispered to himself very cynically, "Where? To our DOOM?"

* * *

Penelope kept a very experienced pace while Sheldor stepped carefully and kept whining to himself. He actually screamed when one of the stalagmites dripped on his shoulder. Penelope just gave a laugh, "Not. Funny. Do you know that cyanobacteria can be found in almost every terrestrial and aquatic habitat: in oceans, fresh water, even bare rock and soil in caverns such as this? They form motile filaments, called hormogonia, that travel away from the main biomass to bud and form new colonies elsewhere in an explosive manner. They produce toxins, called cyanotoxins, which can adversely affect function of the developing and mature nervous tissue, cause liver damage, cause necrosis of healthy cells in the body, and further the decline of the immune system to where the bacteria will eventually kill its host. So, one little drop is all it needs to contaminate my persons. Laugh all you want, but when you have to drag my dead body from this horrid tunnel, we'll see who has this 'last laugh'."

Penelope rolled her eyes and shook her head, "We're almost there… and I'm pretty sure it isn't going to INSTANTLY kill you. Now, hush…"

He groaned and just kept moving forward, still clasping his arms to his body looking back and forth at the walls as if they were disgusting. He took a few more long steps until he saw Penelope standing at an opening with an eerie white glow around her. He finally made it to her at the large opening and she gave a sarcastic gasp, "You… you're still ALIVE! It's a miracle!"

He scowled, "I'm glad my legitimate phobia can amuse you."

She reached up and patted his cheek, "I'll make it up to you… right now!" She gestured her arm in a waving manner to usher him into the opening. His brows touched until he the scenery of where she had led them hit his sight. There was a mirror clear pond encompassed within the ceiling of a wide variety of macrocrystalline. He could distinct the Amethyst, Smoky and Milky quartz, and a little of Citrine. It was absolutely beautiful, but the thing that made the whole site breathtaking was the waterfall in the center of the body of water that came from nowhere and it barely even moved the water below. He looked over at Penelope and could the pool reflecting in the profile of her eyes. She was reminiscent of this place and it seemed to be one of her good memories.

Penelope snapped out of her trance and looked over at Sheldor and smiled, "This is probably my favorite place in the whole wide world. It's called 'Maji ni ya Muda' or 'The Water of Time'. It was forged by the great Caillek, the Veiled One, so the fairies of this clan could replenish their strength after a great battle, but her assistant, Balbh, mixed up the potions and instead of the pool that regenerated time… it actually just… SHOWS you time. It's the most damnedest thing."

He furrowed his brow as she spoke then waited till she was finished, "Poppycock!"

She looked over at him with an amused but shocked face, "You doubt me… well then, smarty pants… go in and find out for yourself."

He went rigid at this and Penelope noticed, she bent her body over to look at his face. He cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure before explaining, "I… I cannot swim."

She nodded and moved out of his view and he took a breath of relief. Her voice carried on behind him, "You really don't have to worry about that. No matter where you stand in the pond, it is always the same. You will always be submerged from your shoulders down. Even when you're standing beside someone of unequal height. That's the magic of the pool."

Sheldor's brows furrowed again and he spun, "Poppy…"

He stopped on a dime as he watched the woman get completely undressed. He yelped unmanly-like and spun away from her with his cheeks burning, "Penelope! What are you doing?"

She laughed behind him, "Well, I wasn't planning on just looking at the water."

He shook his head vehemently, "That is not what I was addressing!"

She gave another chuckle, "Whack-a-doodle… I'm not swimming in the only clothes I have with me. Take it easy… it's not like you haven't seen a naked woman before."

He swallowed and closed his eyes tightly, "I have never seen a bare, unfettered woman before."

Penelope's voice was sad, "How is that even possible? You've never fallen in love? You've never… kissed anyone?"

He shook his head, keeping his eyes shut tightly as her voice got closer, "No. Love is a hindrance when you're trying to save the world… and my… idiosyncrasies do not get 'the ladies a'runnin''."

Her voice was right beside him when she spoke. It was calm and cool like the water of the pond looked, "Don't be so hard on yourself, Shelly… Maybe you just haven't met the right girl, yet."He opened his eyes to watch the glorious tanned and toned body of the blonde sashay to the water. His eyes fall to her buttocks where a small symbol of an arrow, with a Triquetra as the arrow head, was inked upon her right cheek. She looked over her shoulder and he jolted and closed his eyes as fast as he could.

She chuckled and he could hear her  
speak, "My daddy always said that the hero always peeks." He opened his eyes back to meet hers and she gave him a luscious smile and a wink before diving into the water.

He knew by the way his heart was fluttering that he was blushing as well. Her beauty was nothing compared to her utter disregard of conformity. She was a sprig of chaos that refused to stop entangling around his being and he found that he didn't want her to stop. He hated how she could confound him without even trying. He pursed her lips, still staring at where she dove in, when her voice cut through to his subconscious, "Are you coming in or what?"

He crossed his arms with his eyes narrowed, "I'm afraid I cannot comply with your invitation. Grant it, I will not have a fear of drowning; there is still the issue of bacteria that is sure to be swarming within that magical cesspool."

Her laugh plagued him, "Bacteria? Oh Sweetie… just get in! It's a magical cesspool of time and space… I thought it would be right up your alley!"

She gave a pout that he found he could not resist. He hated that she had this… enchantment… over him, but it seemed to lighten his spirit. He sighed, "Fine! I will concede to your… magical pool… but you have to look away while I undress."

She held up three fingers, "I promise."

He narrowed his eyes, "Promise… what is it that you promise?"

She groaned, "I promise to not look at your cute little tush as you undress."

He blushed at her description of his buttocks and cleared his throat. He swirled his finger around in a circle and she smiled and complied. She spun around and swam to the waterfall and he quickly began to take off his clothing. He folded his garments neatly and placed them beside her carelessly discarded heap. The site made his body almost convulse, so he picked her clothes up and folded them and put them beside his. He went to the water's edge and his eyes flicked up to see Penelope under the waterfall, staring right at his full frontal display with a smirk on her face. He yelped and attempted to dive into the water, but his foot slipped and he belly flopped onto the pool.

Underneath the water, Sheldor started to panic and flopped his arms around.

* * *

He opened his eyes and screamed a glob of bubbles at the sight before him. He was floating in mid air above a huge city upon a cloud. Large, pointy building structures protruded from the fluffy white mass and looked to span over half of Pasadenia. It was improbable. He couldn't come up with a formula that could propel such a mass that high up in the air. Suddenly, from all around him, long dragon-like machines swarmed the city and began to fire beams of red light. Those red beams were absorbed by a white, translucent field. The red beams never made it through, but more were descending and their numbers were growing by the hundreds. His lungs began to burn, but he didn't want to miss this conflict. Hands from above decided that his life was worth more than his itching curiosity.

They pulled him up to the air filled cavern and he coughed up the water. He was met with concerned spinach green eyes and he flew into a fit of amazement, "There's a whole 'nother world down there. A city upon clouds that's guarded by air and metallic dragons that spit out bolts of light…" He was in a fit of childish fascination until he looked at her and huffed by to his regular self, "You almost killed me!"

Penelope's smile at his ramblings twisted to a spurning look, "ME? You're the one that overreacted and flailed into the water like a mad duck."

He furrowed his eyes and scowled as her face softened and she started laughing. He cleared his throat and tried to stand tall, but he was a bit taken unawares as to the fact that he was eye to eye with her despite him being fully upright. She did say this, but experiencing it was a bit strange. He stuttered as he realized that they were both naked and quite close, "Y… You… You, Madam, peeked at my body after giving me your word that you wouldn't."

She gave a sly smile, "I, technically, kept my word… I promised not to look at your cute little tush… I can honestly say that I didn't see any part of your butt!" She raised her eyebrows and gave a very peculiar smile and he blushed, madly, "Drat… well played, m'dear Penelope."

There was a small moment of silence between them until Sheldor had a moment of observation and inquiry, "Why do you have the Celtic symbol of the Triquetra on a stick inked upon your right buttock?"

She stared at him in shock and stuttered, "It… it's not a Triqu-whatever… it's the Zodiac sign for Sagittarius… an arrow."

Sheldor snorted, "Mmm Hmm… Well, I guess it would take the threat of being shot with an arrow for one to get a Triquetra branded upon ones buttocks."

Penelope just rolled her eyes, "I thought it was pretty."

Sheldor shook his head, "Penelope, Penelope, Penelope… you must learn to control your female dalliances once in a while."

* * *

They swam in a comfortable silence. Sheldor attempted to doggy paddle and was successful (with a little cheering on from Penelope). After a few minutes, Sheldor swam to the middle of the waterfall where Penelope was floating in the middle. He stopped and looked at her nude form being cupped by the clear water and he swallowed. He felt a tug at his lower abdomen and he stopped and turned his back to her. He had a question that was haunting his mind and he swallowed then blurted it out while not facing her, "How… How do you know that you are infertile?"

The question made her sink from the water's top and he just kept rambling, "What proof do you have that you cannot conceive, besides your obvious childlessness. You must have been used as a succubus for the witch for more than 10 years and you probably initiated intercourse with more than 30 male partners and still no signs of the fertilization and development of one or more offspring within your uterus. Still… being used as some 'last pleasure' for those men could also deter successful copulation yet… there is still no actual proof. The witch used you to lure young men to where man is at his weakest… underneath a woman. Then she would slit their throat… leaving you feeling like an inept woman…"

Penelope moved in front of him with watery eyes and barked, "SHELDOR! Enough…" She reached under the water and took his hand. He fought her pull, but allowed his arm to be guided. She placed her hand upon the top of his and guided it down her belly to a position below her bellybutton off to the left. He stared at her with sympathetic shock. It was a curse in the form of a symbol burned into her skin. It was a symbol of two snakes arching in different directions to where their heads met the other's tail. Inside the arch was a straight line with two triangles in the center and their points meeting making an hourglass symbol.

Directly below AND above the triangles were small diamonds with the line in the middle. From the corners of these diamonds; a looped line squiggled on each side. The ends of the middle line had a curved line; the bottom curving right and the top curving left. Emerging from behind the hourglass symbol was a small pair of black wings that would make the veve of Damballah Wedo that was within the center of the Sigil of Dei Aemth. That was all the proof he needed to know that she truly was cursed with infertility. He let his fingers stroke the brand and she pursed her lips and spoke, "You… you were right. I… I can never please a man without believing he'd die right after. It… it can really kill the mood. It's become one of MY phobias. Not sex… just Love, Romance, and even commitment have become something I shun for the fear that something will always go terribly wrong. I mean… all I can think of is when I'm about to climax… Ecck!" She makes a motion of cutting her throat with her thumb and Sheldor cringed a little. Penelope sighed and looked away as she spoke sadly, "I… I really have never experienced love… real, honest to God, love. So… you and I have that in common."

He got to see how much being a drone truly affected her. His eyes fell to her scarred chest and his thoughts swarmed around in his head. He sighed, "Touching your leg… back within the canyon… was the first time I have ever touched the flesh of a woman. I know it is nowhere near as traumatic as your events, but… I wanted you to know that… that it was quite thrilling for me, but… you must not FEAR that something will go wrong… something always does, but it's your strength of fighting through those fears… those hard times… that's what a relationship truly is."

She looked at him as if she had never seen him before. It was a brief gaze, but it was far too intense to stare at directly. He cleared his throat and swallowed, "About the canyons… after I healed you… you attempted to try and… and… and kiss me, but you stopped and seemed to be in a bit of pain… did the thought of kissing me… pain you that much?"

Her eyes went wide and she spoke with a furious passion, "NO… Oh no Sheldor… that wasn't it at all. The witch; she stopped me. She didn't want me to sway you… to 'corrupt' you."

She averted her gaze and he tilted his head, "Corrupt me? As in making me steal someone's cow out of malice? I can assure you that you would have no such luck. I mean… what would I do with a cow?" He shook his head and the nervous babbling began.

She rolled her eyes and cut him off, "Ummm… not THAT kind of corrupt… something a little more… personal. She was worried that I would try to take… your…" She blushed and mumbled something under her breath.

Sheldor tilted his head in confusion, "I'm sorry. I didn't quite hear that? My what?"

She backed a few paces and snorted before blurting out, "Your virginity. She thought that you would find me unbelievably attractive and try to… bed me… so she placed some kind of binding curse to where if I get to close… It would zap me."

Sheldor swallowed and turned his head from her, "Why would she want… THAT?"

Penelope gained a serious look and spoke as if she had been studying for this moment, "The witch said that with you being pure and untouched… your blood retains a strong magical entity that can surpass even the qualities of Dragon's Blood. She's going to use it to resurrect her Aunt, free her mother, and call upon Abaddon, the Demon of Destruction." Sheldor stared at the woman with disbelief as she took a pause, "She's going after the seal of Magic…"

Sheldor brought his hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose. The crystal clear water barely clinging to his skin and he sighed, "Because I've never engaged in coitus… my blood has retained a magic that no other can possess? That's utter hokum." He shook his head and looked at the blonde, "Hokum… that makes absolutely no sense… much like this body of water we're in."

There was a long, awkward pause between them and Sheldor turned his back to her and gave a loud groan of a sigh. A few moments later, he turned back… calmer and with an inquisitive look, "You… you said that the witch stopped you… did… did that mean you… wanted to kiss me?"

She was shocked by the suddenness of his question and stared into his eyes with widened, moss colored eyes. She slowly averted her eyes to the water's surface and nodded, "Y… yes."

His brows went up but a small smile hinted on his lips. His heart was in mid air doing loop-da-loops in his chest. He felt so childish… like he had just met his hero. He took in a breath and restrained the smile from getting too far out of hand. He cleared his throat and bowed his head, "I see…"

Penelope gave a smile, not fooled by his actions at all, and moved forward. The water hissed as she moved towards him and he looked up as stopped merely inches away. She licked her lips and looked him right in the eye, since the water kept them seemingly the same height, and she whispered to him, "I… I still do."

His breath hitched in his throat and swallowed as he licked his own lips, "You know… I have never known the flesh of a woman… this… this will not be as pleasant as you wish it to be. I excel at so many things, but even I have my limitations. I will be sloppy and skittish… my phobia will… mmph."

She places the tips of her fingers right on top of his lips and shushed him, "You're babbling, Sweetie." She gave him a small smile and removes her hand. She looked down then back up into his eyes and spoke softly, "You still trust me?"

He closed his eyes and pursed his lips for a small moment before taking in a deep breath and opening his eyes again. He licked his lips again and spoke softly back to her, "I never stopped."

Her eyes watered slightly as she gave a blaringly gorgeous smile before taking in her own bottom lip and biting down on it gently. Her hands ran up his lean yet muscular sides, over his ribs, across his pecks, and over his shoulders to wrap around his neck. Her eyes never left his as she leaned forward. Their foreheads touched and Sheldor felt his breathing becoming erratic already. She gave him a gentle smile then closed her eyes and pressed her lips upon his.

It was the epitome of perfection. A chaste friction of creamy, nectarous collision that it had the thought of germs so far in the back of his mind… it was stuck behind the thoughts of Wolowix. This… this moment… it was unforeseeable… an incalculable error upon the white board of his mind. He did not detect the shift in their paradigm until she was right there… right here. She pecked at his lips once more before pulling away, but he pursued her. He wanted more… so much more… so he chased her… and to his delight… she met him halfway. His arms encircled under her extended arms and pressed her delicate flesh against his as they both shared a moan within the kiss.

He ran his hands down her back and stopped at the base of her bottom then back up slowly… cataloging every inch of skin. It was strange to be almost the same height at the normally shorter woman, but it was another thought that joined the germs in the back of the line just as his unclothed erection touched the softness of her inner thigh. He pulled out of the kiss with a jolt and a deep hum that rang from his throat. He pulled his pelvis away before something initiated that he couldn't stop and they both stared at each other with timid, but hungry eyes. She unwrapped her arms from around his neck and lapped at her own lips as she pressed her eyes closed and distanced herself from him. That caused him to release her from his embrace with aching confusion. She bowed her head, "I… I'm sorry."

He shook his head, "For… for what?"

She shook her head and averted her gaze, looking extremely embarrassed. He wasn't very inept in diffusing a situation, but his cursed Eidittik did come in handy at times. He recalled her 'phobia' and felt a tinge of sympathy; she thought she wasn't good enough.

He slid forward and caused the water to ripple and he stood inches away from her. Her face was cringed in pain as she looked up. Tears had formed and lifted a wet hand and brushed the fallen drops from her cheek. He was never good at this, but… he put forth an effort to comfort her, "Please do not cry. You are not useless, Penelope. You are a beautiful woman who can offer a man his every fantasy…" She looked at him with shocked eyes and he looked down, feeling quite foolish, but he kept speaking, "You… you are an unsolvable puzzle. You have far too many variables to calculate and you plague my very mind. You're irrationally pigheaded and infuriatingly unpredictable, yet you are a quintessence of social superiority. Please… Penelope… do not plummet into the pit of your own self-loathing… you are far too amiable for something so unnecessary."

Her tears were forming thicker as he found courage enough to bend down slightly to press his downy warm lips upon her mangled scar on her chest. He heard her gasp and felt her body jerk in surprise, but he just pressed a few more deep kisses upon her flesh. He wanted to show her how much he treasured her imperfections as his hand found the top of her left thigh then slid up to rest upon the cursed brand under her belly button. She whispered his name and her hands swooped underneath the water.

She cupped his jaw on either side of his face and pulled his head up to where it was level with her own. She stared into his eyes and gave a very meaningful whisper of "Thank you" before she kissed him passionately. It was a feeling he would never forget. It was a building ball of energy within his every inch of tissue upon his body and it was throbbing of a hunger that only intensified as she opened her mouth within the kiss and slithered the tip of her tongue across the crease of his closed mouth. That set off rumbles of bundled up moans within his chest and the two, once again, finding themselves beginning to delve into something heavy.

Just before the two began to press their flesh against one another… an enormously loud and heavy bang shook the entire space around them and they pulled away from each other swiftly. The quake happened again, just as loud and as deep as the last one. The two looked at each other with worrisome eyes just as a barrage of screams echoed from the darkened tunnel.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

Penelope was like a gazelle on the plains as she sprinted forward and leaped over any obstacles in her way. It had only taken her seconds to re-clothe herself before she took off into the darkened tunnel.

Sheldor got his clothes on as quickly as he could before he ran less hesitantly. Barefooted running was not something he was quite used to, but the ever agile and carefree blonde didn't let it bother her. He managed to catch up to her at the landing of the entrance to the tunnel right beside the thin ledge they had to cross to get back to the kingdom. Sheldor stared curiously at Penelope's still form as he exited the dark tunnel. He rounded to look at her, but the horrible screams caught his focus instead. He shot his eyes to see fairies darting in panicked formations as streams of color bled behind them like a comet tail. Noises of fright and disorder sung out like a lullaby of illness. Sheldor turned his head only slightly towards Penelope, who was still standing behind him, and spoke with a very serious tone, "I seem to be in need of my bow… lead us back to the room, if you please?"

Penelope swallowed the lump of trepidation in her throat and slid to the ledge, "No problem… just try and keep up."

Sheldor moved to the ledge and allowed her a few steps before he moved, "That should be no problem."

They crossed the ledge as quickly as they could and jogged to the opening of the spiral that encircled all the way up the tree. Sheldor stared straight up and his breath hitched as he saw fairies in mid flight being chased by luminescent green and black hornets. As he continued to look up, he began to see sharp, thick, and long objects being plunged into the sides multiple times until there was a marginally large hole all up the tree's tower. From the holes, a blanket of black creatures swarmed against the walls in all directions while elongated and flailing creatures with long, stemy legs wiggled from the middle of the masses. They were fast and unrelenting and Sheldor felt a little sick to his stomach as sounds of screaming filled the hollow space of the tree's tower. He backed up until he could see Penelope from his peripherals. She looked none too pleased herself.

The sound of crunching, digging came from up above and they both tensed up. Three huge spiders crawled upon the ceiling of the path and raised their mandibles up towards them. Sheldor took in a very deep breath and let out a high pitched scream that would've put the banshee to shame. They both backed up a little then took off running in the direction that would take them to their room. They weren't fast enough as four more spiders blocked their escape. Penelope's hand went into her clothing and she narrowed her eyes. Sheldor only had his hunting knife and he wasn't about to get THAT close to these things.

The three behind them had floored themselves and readied to spring forward to attack, but they were all caught off guard by a huge scaled body coiling around them and crushing them together as a spear came down and pierced them. Penelope smiled and threw her hand out and her blossom stars shot out, de-legging the four before them. The snake slithered to their side and Dimitri held up his spear and spoke with his Russian accent slanting through, "Penelope… take your hero and get to the Core… I need you with Goldfarb!"

Penelope looked up at the Russian fairy, "I'll be there!"

Dimitri shook his head, "I needed you there… NOW!"

Sheldor moved to the two, "I am going nowhere without my belongings…"

Dimitri gave a sigh, "I cannot guarantee you'll get to your room without being horribly slain, but I have my men trying to alleviate the situation. They've sent armored bugs to the Core… we don't have much time before we'll be overrun… Hurry… Just… Hurry!" He and his snake slithered off swiftly. Penelope looked over at Sheldor and they both nodded before sprinting.

* * *

They made it up one of the spirals and had one to go. They had to avoid the madness of spiders versus fairies all up and down the corridors. Penelope downed as many as she could as Sheldor used a few fire spells on spiders that packed and ganged up on one fairy. He had to conserve his magic… it took a lot out of him to do a spell…

Sheldor felt a rush of relief as he saw the familiar door. Penelope skipped into a jog as Sheldor caught up. They were a mere three paces from the door when a long, slate-grey body moved like lightning around them. The body had mustard yellow legs that tapped against the ground with a menacing crunching noise and it wrapped around them tighter and tighter until Penelope and Sheldor were back to back. The almost feather-like tails on its 'back' end twitched as the 'head' of the massive arthropod raised up. The long, twirling antennae on its head was twitching all around the air and Penelope readied her hand to throw.

Before they could ponder on their last moments alive, a ringing pierce of a shrieking call blared out and Sheldor could see it dive bombing from the air towards them. The Feathertailed Centipede seemed to pay no mind as it tightened it body to grip the two with its gnarly, sticklike legs. A magpie shrike swooped in a curve and tackled the centipede's head with both its feet and pinned the arthropod to the ground, this caused the body to coil madly. Penelope and Sheldor moved and dodged every single leg that grasped in mid air. A masculine grunt came from above them and they both got a glimpse of a fairy doing a Spartan dive from above with a sword above his head and he pierced the centipede's belly mercilessly. He drug the blade down as the shrike ripped its head off. The arthropod eventually stopped moving as the bird began to feast upon it.

The male fairy sheathed his sword in a holster on his back and approached them. He was tall, dark haired, and very handsome. He had a thin red line between two thick white lines of war paint down the left side of his bare chest and the same design around his left bicep. He approached Penelope and took her hand, "Are you alright? I would hate to know that such a beautiful damsel like you would be in any kind of distress."

Sheldor felt a little irritated when Penelope almost gushed over him. The male kissed her hand and introduced himself, "I am Underhill… and you are?"

Before Penelope has a chance to answer, a lilac breasted roller swoops in and an irritated female fairy screams from its back, "Damn it, Underhill! We are under attack! Get your unfaithful, cheating, horny ass on that shrike! We have more enemies to vanquish!" The shrike hopped over and Underhill hopped on its back while muttering, "Yes, Dear." Both the birds burst into the air and they were off taking care of other centipedes.

Sheldor shook his head and looked over at Penelope, who was absolutely stunned. He was not happy… not at all. He actually had a pinch in his chest thinking that Penelope felt anything for that… that… bed companion of a man! He scoffed callously, "Well… That was a fairly disgusting display of manhood… Now…" He kicked open the door trying to release this… ball of anger in his chest… making Wolowix yelp and evaporate from the bed as Sheldor spoke again, "… I get to show them how a REAL gentleman saves the day."

He grabbed his jacket, flinging it on while putting his hat on. He grasped the bow gun, readying it for combat. His rage seemed to pulse through making the arrows throb with power. Wolowix connected into his mind with a bit of worry, **_"What the HELL is going on? I've been hearing screaming... I thought this place was impenetrable? Guarded by magic and what now… AND why are you so pissed off?"_**

Sheldor groaned, "Please refrain from speaking to me, Wolowix. You and I need to focus… We have some work to do." He walked out of the room and past Penelope's regretful eyes to stand at the ledge and over look the carnage. Wolowix cursed in his head and Sheldor licked his lips, "Wolowix… I noticed that when I shot the witch, the two arrows separate arrows converged into one… I wonder… how many arrows can diverge from each arrow I fire? I need a calculable answer."

Wolowix paused then answered him, **_"I would say that one arrow could divide into 30 and still have enough magical energy to be devastatingly powerful. Anymore and the assurance of outcome is flawed."_**

Sheldor nodded, "Very well." He raised the bow gun and aimed it high. He knew that the Vulcarian spell was still upon the bow gun, even though it had changed drastically. He focused all his energy upon the hand that held the bow gun and shot both arrows in the air. The two arrows shot out like two rockets of fireworks and almost shattered in mid air. They divided into an array of small shards that moved like a school of fish then started darting off like shooting stars. Eventually, all the individual shards had gone off into their own directions. Some hit hornets in pursuit, some hit spiders who had fairy families pinned against the wall, and some hit centipedes trailing up the spiral tower… each one it hit; evaporated it into golden dust.

Penelope stood beside Sheldor and they both looked up at the bow gun. Wolowix ghosted before them and hovered over the edge and huffed on his fingers and polished them on his chest with a smirk, **_"Yep… I'm that good."_**

Sheldor rolled his eyes as Penelope grinned. Sheldor spared a brief glance at Penelope before sulking to the side and saying, "We need to get to the 'Core' I do believe Dimitri said."

Penelope sighed, "Sheldor…" She began, but she stopped and let out a pained puff of air. She moved forward, heading back down the spiral and after a few beats… Sheldor followed… heavily and disgruntled.

* * *

As they moved down the spiral, they noticed that the insects were slowly dwindling down in numbers. Sheldor fired off another one of his group shots and took out nearly 60 more. While they ran, Wolowix's voice chimed into Sheldor's mind with concern, **_"Ummm… You mind telling me what's going on with you and Penelope? You… you seem a little… pissed off."_**

Sheldor was a good distance away from the blonde as they ran and Sheldor, though a bit out of breath, answered the man, "It's… it's nothing."

"**_Bullshit!"_**

Sheldor winced at the curse in his head and he spoke… he spoke louder than he meant to, "She… she and some Neanderthal of a fairy nearly engaged in coitus right in front of me… as if I didn't even exist. I… I don't know… I just began to feel… spiteful towards him, but even more towards her. I… I…"

Wolowix spoke with a kind voice, **_"You were jealous..." _**Wolowix's kind voice went into a condescending tone,**_ "Oh my goodness… Why Sir Shelly Welly, are you finally getting hair growing in strange places?"_**

Sheldor stopped dead in his tracks and panted for a moment before defending himself in a high pitched voice, "I am most certainly NOT jealous and… for the record I have had full pubis at the age of 19."

Wolowix ghosted out beside him and gave a mischievous grin, **_"First off: UGGGHHH… Secondly: Shelly Bean… jealousy is one of those 'human' emotions that you've heard so much about… It seems that you care more about this girl than you're letting on. Don't worry, though… you're secret is safe with me… until I see someone I can tell… then it's every man for himself."_**

Sheldor shook his head and started to speak, but a familiar scream filled the air. Sheldor ran full speed leaving Wolowix to cloud up in the spot he ran from. He saw two hornets descend upon the blonde while a horde of spiders leapt to cut Sheldor off. He raised his bow gun and shot. It took out the spiders in a puff of glitter, but it was too late… he watched as one of the hornets gripped Penelope tight and began to fly straight up the spiral. Sheldor could do nothing, if he shot the hornet, she'd fall to her death. The other hornet sprung in an attack on him. The hornet dived down, stinger first and Sheldor dodged it easily, but the bow gun hit the ground awkwardly and it slid out of his hand. He cursed loudly… he was wasting valuable time to save Penelope. He moved to try and get up, but the lime green and black hornet slammed its six tarsi down around his body. Up close, Sheldor could see the divots in the hornet's exoskeleton… see the tiny hairs within its crushing mandibles… and the spots upon the hornet's eyes. There was something ominous about this insect… an energy that was far too familiar… and then she appeared.

* * *

Lady Fowler stepped forward and looked down at him with her mask still on and his bow gun in the grip of her smooth metallic arm, the one Sheldor had shot off, like it was disgusting. She towered over his head and she tilted her mask before kneeling down, "Hello again, Sheldor… You know… I am a fairly forgiving person. So, I'll forgive you for blasting off my arm… but… I cannot forgive you for stealing my Bestie…" The hornet readied its stinger and pointed it at Sheldor's abdomen. A snarling, guttural growl filled the air from behind Lady Fowler and she spun and disappeared in enough time to avoid the lunge of the fully healed nerkanine. Onar's attempts were not in vain, the bow gun slid only a few feet away from Sheldor.

Sheldor had no time to cheer for the return of his friend as he folded his body and rolled above his head to avoid the stinger then crawled quickly to his weapon and fired it; sending the hornet into flakes of golden ash. Sheldor stood and looked around with wide eyes… trying to find the damned witch. Onar trotted to his side and sniffed the air.

Her voice filled their ears, but she dared not show herself, "It seems that you and I are going to be quite the pair bond of enemies. I have what I came for... this palace shall burn in FLAMES!"

A rumble filled the tree that seemed to flow all the way up and a glow began to ascend the spiral. Wolowix ghosted and spoke as he stared at the approaching glow, **_"I think it's time to for you and Onar to be reunited as rider and steed!"_**

Sheldor, Onar, and Wolowix could only stare as an enormous Gila-monster stomped up and stopped a few yards before them. Its front was the black and orange striped lizard, but the rest of it was nothing but flames. The creature gave a gurgling roar and the whole creature became a living burst of flames and it lurched forward with some speed. Wolowix gulped and spoke out loud before disappearing in a puff of smoke, **_"Ummm… Guys…" _**Sheldor gripped Onar and mounted him just as the nerk turned and ran full speed up the spiral.

Onar sprinted as fast as his legs could carry them as the lizard of fire pursued them. Sheldor shot a couple of arrows back, but the flames just swallowed it like a coin thrown within a well. He cursed and twisted back and gripped the fur of the nerk before leaning forward hoping to lessen the wind drag. He had absolutely had no time to appreciate his friend's healthy return to his side because they were now running for their lives.

Onar had to slide to a stop as the path before them was blocked by fallen debris scattered across and piled high upon the path. Wolowix hummed nervously in Sheldor's mind. Sheldor, himself, tried to calculate the exact time it would take to clear a small hole just to get through… they didn't have 2 hours. Sheldor swallowed as Onar turned to the side and started to back up. Sheldor could only react to the notice of the nerk's backward momentum with a mutter of 'Onar' over and over again.

The nerkanine's butt hit the wall and his body tensed underneath Sheldor's legs. Sheldor muttered, "Oh Good Lord… No…" He turned his head to see the gila-monster of fire stomping towards them. It picked up speed towards them and the nerk took off towards the hollowed out tower and Sheldon began screaming, "No... Noooo... Onar… ONAR… **OOOOONAR**!"

The flames licked at the nerk's back feet as he soared in the air with his front and back legs straight out in opposite directions. When the nerk's body got to almost in the center… they began to plummet fast. Sheldor screamed and lost his grip on the black fur of the nerk and ascended above the nerk as Onar fell faster.

* * *

An eagle's call screeched and echoed within the tree and Onar was scooped with large talons as Sheldor's arm was gripped and he was yanked behind a fairy with burgundy hair. The walls of the climbing tower began to stretch. It took a while for Sheldor to collect what just occurred and finally recognized the fairy that he was sitting behind and the flaming red bird they were riding… Stephinaria… Penelope's friend. The woman turned her head and spoke, "Where's Penny?"

Something caught his eye and he looked down and saw an old fairy standing on a protruding ledge, holding up a staff with a glowing red tip and pointed upwards. Stephinaria's voice got louder and angrier, "SHELDOR… WHERE'S PENNY!?"

Sheldor looked up and searches the sky to find the hornet. He points out by the side of her head to make sure she could follow his direction, "There!"

Stephinaria gritted her teeth and spoke to him, "Hang on tight." He hesitated, but as the flaming red bird tilted up and jetted upwards, and his arms were around the fairy. He was surprised at how soft and bendable the fairy's wings were as they brushed against his face.

He looked up as the fire bird's rainbow colored discharge burst from the tips of its wings. It was quite beautiful, but his eyes locked onto the wasp. He heard Wolowix speak to him in a desperate speech, **_"Sheldor… you can't let the witch take her… she's obviously something important… we need to get her back!"_**

Sheldor swallowed and nodded in agreement. He took the bow gun and pointed it straight at the insect and growled, "She belongs to no one… she's finally free." He pulled the trigger and the two arrows whistled in the air. One took point and soared forward and destroyed a bubble of energy around them and the other arrow went through the hornet's thorax. The hornet stopped in mid flight and leaned its body back before exploding in golden confetti. Penelope almost floated in mid air until gravity took a hold of her. She flailed her arms in the air as if trying to grab something and her lungs expelled a terrified scream as she plummeted down.

Sheldor sheathed the bow gun and pushed up on Stephinaria's shoulders. The fairy screamed something he couldn't quite understand as his focus was on the falling blonde. He calculated the momentum and moment he needed to jump and join her in the fall… and he took that action at that exact moment. Sheldor ran and leaped off the bird and dove in an angle. Onar's jaws were wide open and making an animalistic scream as he watched Sheldor falling.

* * *

Penelope was still flailing and screaming as she fell until Sheldor's slim form caught up with hers and wrapped his arms around her. He held her and she beat on his chest as they spun in mid air. She had tears in her eyes and she screamed at him, "You damn DUMMY! Now we're both gonna die! Why couldn't you just let me go?"

He pressed her close and wanted to say something romantic… something heartfelt… something that would be written in scrolls for centuries, but nothing would come. Instead, he closed his eyes and mumbled something into her neck. The bow gun pulsed and began to bleed out a blue flow of effervesce that surrounded the two clinging to each other for dear life and before they could crash into the ground… there was a flare of blue and the two disappeared in thin air.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

Sheldor felt a weightlessness surrounding him as he tightened Penelope in his grip. They slowly fell down like a gentle feather descending to the ground. He dared not open his eyes for fear… fear that she wouldn't be in his arms… that he would be all alone within the darkness. When his feet hit the ground first, he felt the body in his arms shift down as it touched down, too. Curiosity finally got the better of him and he opened one of his eyes and was relieved to see the golden hair of his friend but then he got a glimpse of his surroundings and both of his eyes flew open.

They were standing in the center of nothing but whiteness. He spun with the woman still in his arms with his jaw loose in awe. He finally pushed her away, gently, and tried to move around… he didn't move anywhere… no matter how fast his legs moved. He was still only a few feet from Penelope and was running in place, madly. He roared in frustration and looked around the edgeless, borderless space with contempt. They had no shadows… it was just a blank surface of blaring white. He swallowed and looked down at the bow gun on his hip then turned back to look at Penelope. She looked positively perturbed and nervous,, "Penelope… what… what is it?"

She shook her head and looked up at him, "We… we're in a lot of trouble, Sheldor…"

He furrowed his brows and was able to move towards her. He got right in front of her and looked down, "Why? Where are we?"

She looked up at him with saddened eyes, "Galehus."

He shook his head. The name didn't ring a bell, but the fear in her eyes DID. It was the same look she had when she tried to kiss him in the canyon. He reached down and gripped the bow gun and tried to hear Wolowix and his opinion… but there was nothing. Matter-of-fact, he just noticed that his hat and jacket were gone. He swallowed deeply and felt oddly, in danger, "What, pray tell, is Galehus?"

She bowed her head and her blonde locks flowed over her shoulder like a waterfall.

Sheldor narrowed his eyes as he watched her. Something was wrong, but he couldn't feel anything… his magical instinct was as blank as the space they occupied. It was HER behavior; however, that was putting him deep on edge. She raised her head slowly and her eyes met his. He twitched a little at the dead; frightened look that was on her face, "Galehus is known as the Chaotic Realm but some know it as the Disavowal Dimension. Where magic has no logic or power… Where the most logical man could be devoured by his own mind… Lose his memories… Lose his everything." Her voice was small, now, and her words hit him hard.

He had no time to question her… no time to even ponder her words… she started to cry, heavily. He was going to reach out to her, but her swift movement nullified his attempts. She crushed her body against his and kissed him with more passion than he had ever felt. It almost pulsed within his chest. He went to wrap his arms around her, but she pushed off him, still crying, and she whispered a desperate whisper, "Sheldor… I… I'm so so sorry…"

Sheldor began to mouth 'For What', but before his teeth could form the 'F'… a striking pain erupted from his back as the sound of flesh and bone being ripped and broken filled the negative space. Penelope's wail was muffled by her hands as her face twisted in anguish. It was painful… so so painful… seeing her face like that… seeing her tears bleed down her cheeks… all her fears, regret, and anguish… because of him. So much emotion because of her… something he'd never felt for anyone… he wanted to tell her that his heart belonged to her, but it was now in the grip of someone else. A yanking pulled him backwards and he fell like a statue. Penelope's pleas and sobs filled his ears as his eyes were focused on the masked witch with a bloodied, wiggling ball in her hands. As he descended into darkness and his eyes blurred behind his lashes… a bright blue light flared and the heart in her hands were gone… and he drifts into oblivion.

* * *

Sheldor felt like his body was full of electricity… a static-filled energy that danced within each fiber of his being. He could feel the incessant stinging upon his back and it made him nauseous and dizzy even as he lay with his eyes closed. Then… the memories drowned him like a downpour. She… she had tricked him… she… she was the bait the whole time… and he… he had fallen for her and it was all just some plot to bring him to the witch. He flung his arm over his face and began to cry lightly. He… he loved her… but it was in vain. This was why he had never sought out 'romance'… this right here. The throbbing ache of betrayal… the pain that can even overthrows true physical pain of the gaping hole in his back that sizzled harshly against his flesh. Every moment they had together… Every word they shared… Every touch they engaged… it was all a LIE!

He opened his eyes and his arm shielded him from the brightness of the white around him. He turned his head and his eyes went wide. His bow gun lay shattered in splinters. Sheldor groaned and grunted as he tried to roll over. He got to his belly and crawled to the remains and touched the chunk of the trigger and his head fell into his hands. He whispered through his sobs, "I'm so sorry… I'm sorry Wolowix."

"**Why are you talking to a pile of wood?"**

Sheldor's head shot up and he looked around and saw nothing. It pained him, but he pushed himself up and continued to spin knowing that he heard a voice loud and clear. He gave up and relaxed and turned his head and came face to face with female head that was upside down. Sheldor squealed and jumped back and regretted it, immediately as it made his wound hurt. The woman smiled a regular smile until sharpened canines began to grow and the top had another set of canines behind the first set. She had long, rabbit-like ears with midnight blue fur with silver dipped on the tips blossomed from the ends of each ear. Her eyes were blacked out and had white slits for pupils. She had long, silver hair with dark blue roots that draped below her hovering body like a curtain. It was the tattoo upon her left cheek, just below her eye, that threw the witch hunter off. It was an hourglass with the wings of a dragon that had a wooden frame around it in the background and two scythes almost making a circle around it. The top blade curved left and the bottom blade curved right He knew that symbol…

The woman flipped around in mid air and sat Indian style while still hovering above him… a body long lion tail was hanging down and twitching underneath her. It was the same color of her skin except for the fur down the base and the end of the tail… same color as the tips of her ears. Her legs resembled that of a Friesian horse, but they were slim and long. The fur of the legs were short and black but with tints of blue in it. There was excess fur feathering from where her smooth hooves were. She wore some intriguing clothing. The shirt underneath was tight and gray with a baffling image on it. There was a square that was wearing tight white pants and a yellow jacket with a bunch of buckles. The block had an 'Hg' in the center with an '80' in its top right corner. It had eyes that seemed to be shut with a thick mustache and two buck teeth. The block had one of its fists in the air while the other held a black cylinder shaped object with a black sphere on top and a string attached to the bottom of the cylinder. To top off this woman-thing's outfit was a short vest of shaggy, white fur.

The woman tilted her head and finally came down to the ground. The moment her hooves touched… the white room exploded in a ripple of color and they were standing on an island rock in the middle of an endless, calm water and Sheldor looked around in bewilderment, **"Don't bother trying to figure it out… it will only drive you crazier than you already are."**

Sheldor scowled through his confusion, "I assure you that I am not crazy… I have been thoroughly tested by Pasadenia's top philosophers."

The woman snorted as the white slits of her eyes morphed into a ball in the center of the blackness, **"Philosophers are like the bedpan cleaners of the scientific world. They see a lot of shit and all they can do is discuss why it exists. Useless title if you ask me."**

Sheldor, still quite not used to the abrupt change in scenery, looked around before speaking, "Madam… who exactly are you and… what… what is going on?"

The woman's round pupils shot into a slit again as she growled a very deep and guttural snarl, **"Enough of that MADAM crap… Shelly. My name is Chrsnyght and I'm the Demon of Chaos."** She circled around him as her hooves crunched against the rock and she kept speaking, **"I am the daughter of Vaxt, Demon of Time, and a human female whose name I never knew. My father created this place… this Chaotic zone. He called it the Disavowal Dimension and he made it just for me. It was supposed to be a sanctum from the human world, but… much like everything else… you humans found a way to ruin that, too."** She circled his back and finally stopped and squared herself in front of him. Her eyes were livid and the tattoo on her cheek seemed to be burning for the black edges of the ink were now encased in a glow of red, **"You want to know why I haven't ripped off your skin and made you a sock puppet, yet? Because you and I have a common enemy. A common denominator so to speak… WITCHES."**

She pushed off the ground and floated in the air as she looked to be swimming within the air, **"Witches have ruined our lives… They've taken your life… your family… your friends… and even your love… and I... I lost EVERYTHING to them. My father, my mother… but most importantly, my FREEDOM!"** She stopped and sat Indian style again and sighed, **"You won't defeat Lady Fowler like you are. Your magic… it has order… it has purpose... it is predictable and easily tossed aside. When you create a potion… that potion is meant for what it was made for. Now, Demonic magic, on the other hand, has no logic… it is unforgiving… incalculable… and frenzied. It doesn't have to take to give… it just gives… that's why the witches have kept me around... that's why the witches fear me. My magic has no limitations… it can't be blocked or countered by simple magic… only a DEMON can fight against a demon. That is why Lady Fowler is using my father's bones as a mask. It is a shield… a conductor… a comfort for the shattered face of that useless witch. They are after your pure heart… and with it; they will tear the fabric of magic apart like a wet tissue. The only thing standing in their way is a bunch of sandwyrms, an old ass Dragon of Life, and the fact that they can't find where your heart teleported to. So… what's going on is… you have been left for dead by Lady Fowler and she hopes that I eat you like a burrito… that was until you got up without a heart in your chest. You, m'friend, are what we demons call 'Faustum Unum', but you don't believe in luck."**

Sheldor grasped at his chest and the pain in his back lurched barely hearing the woman-thing speak. What was he supposed to do now?

Chrsnyght laid on her side while still hovering and smiled, **"I can help you… I can help you get out of here and get your revenge."**

Sheldor furrowed his brow, "And how are you going to do that? You are just as stuck as I am."

Chrsnyght smiled and her tattoo began to burn blue instead of red, **"Who said YOU were stuck here?"**

Sheldor swallowed, "Very well… how do I return?"

Chrsnyght floated back down and when her feet hit the rock, the colors rippled again, and they were back into the white space, **"You like playing games, don't you Sir Sheldor?"**

Sheldor cringed uncomfortably from the pain of his back and shook his head, "Yes, but… playing a game with a demon does not seem to be a smart thing to do being that your kind is not known for their trust and integrity. Not to mention the fact that you're evil…"

She feigned shock, **"Evil? Ouch… you hit me real low, there, Shelly. Be that as it may… you have no choice… either you play my game… or… you and I get to get… perrrrsonal." **She purred in his ear and he froze solid.

He shuddered and flinched away from her and shouted, "Fine! What… what are the consequences for the failure of said game?"

She didn't even bat an eyelash, **"An Eternity… with lil' ol Me."**

He swallowed but somewhere deep inside, he found courage… he needed it because he WANTED revenge… for Penelope… for his family… for HIM. He furrowed his brow and gave the demon a nod, "I am ready to play."

The half-demon gave a smirk and clapped her hands together, **"Fantastic! All you have to do… is answer this riddle."**

Sheldor suppressed the moan, but not the wide eyes of knowing how horrible he was at riddles. He dove into his sodden mind and found confidence. He took a deep breath and nodded for her to continue.

Chrsnyght ran her tongue over the two canines of her upper left side and began to float again.

"**Alrighty…**

**I am just one and one  
I am warm and cold  
I am wet and dry  
I am lawful and unlawful  
A duty and a fault  
I am often sold dear  
Good for nothing when bought  
An extraordinary boon  
And a matter of education  
But suspended from pleasure  
When taken by force  
What am I?"**

* * *

Sheldor allowed the clues to rush over his mind, but… all he could think about was… her. Her apple-scented hair… her long, wavy hay colored hair… her heart shattering smile… her passionate, silky… … …

"You… you are a kiss."

The demon's hooves came back down and the room went haywire, it shifted into elongated mirrors that distorted their images from all sides. Sheldor looked all around to confirm and saw that there were color coordinated circles where he stood (blue), where she stood (red), and around the heap of splintered mess (purple). He couldn't figure out why this was and didn't have much time as the demon's hooves clicked as she walked towards him. She stopped only a few feet away, she was only a few inches shorter than him, but her stare down made her seem a whole lot taller. The white slits opened just a little as she tilted her head then back with a smile.

"**I AM a demon, Sir Sheldor… but I am also human. Never forget that… Aww… who am I kidding… we both know you can't forget. Cursed with the Eidittik and all. I'm going to keep my promise to you… BUT… you have to take me with you."**

Sheldor felt skeptical and narrowed his eyes, "How? You are unable to leave."

Chrsnyght gave a grin, **"But you can. If I were to bind myself with your tattered body… I could leave as a part of you. Not to mention that I could make one HELL of a weapon. A whole lot better than THAT thing." **She looked down at the bow gun's remains and waved her hand across her body towards them and the shards of wood morphed quickly into the form of Wolowix, but… human. Wolowix took an exaggerated inhale and began coughing as if brought back to life from CPR, **"I want my vengeance… We make a deal… right now… I will help find your lost heart and save your 'Bonny Lass' all for the simply price of Lady Fowler's LIFE."**

Wolowix stood up and took in the surroundings as Sheldor stood up straight and looked into the blackened eyes of the demon, "You will need this deal in contract form and notarized by counseled officials?"

The demon gave another smile and stepped closer to the man, holding up his jacket that his Memaw gave him and it melted into her hand as she spoke ominously, **"Oh Moonpie… that's not how we demons roll."**

* * *

Before he could question her term of endearment for him, she leaned forward and kissed him soundly on the lips. In a violent rush of blackened ribbon, she forced herself into him through his mouth and nostrils, causing Sheldor stumbled backwards. His body was leaned forward for a long time and Wolowix approached him slowly, "Hey… Shelly… are you alright?" He reached out to touch his shoulder, but his fingers never made it as Sheldor leaned back up, straightened back, and floated in the air as a demonic screamed roared in the mirrored space. Wolowix fell back on his tush and looked up at the blackened eyes, mouth wide open in a scream, and body twisted in the scarecrow position in mid air… then… he fell to the ground and both he and Wolowix were in the middle of Galstire right beside the skeleton of the old hay barn.

Wolowix ran to Sheldor's limp body and touched his shoulder again, but he leapt back and yelped in pain when a bolt of black lightning zapped his hand. Wolowix shook the zapped hand and just knelt down where he was lying, "Sheldor… C'mon man… get up! C'mon… SHELLY!"

The yelling must have reached him because Sheldor grunted and pushed himself up with his arms and shook his head like a dog. Wolowix stood as he did and looked impressively at his left arm. Sheldor furrowed his brow and followed his eyes. He nearly jumped out of his skin as he raised his left arm to reveal a midnight blue arm-armor that spanned across the left side of his chest and back and even up his neck almost like the armor were in his veins and arteries. The sleeves of his undershirt and minotaur hide were almost burned off where the armor touched, but on the rest of his body were just a normal fit. The finger tips of the clawed gauntlet were silver and it reminded him of the fur on the demon's ears and tail. He flexed his arm to note the flexibility of this newly developed monstrosity and found that there was no pain radiating from his back. Wolowix looked at Sheldor's face and squinted his eyes as he stared at his left cheek, "Hey, Shelly, when did you get a branded?"

Sheldor looked at the short man with the bowl hair cut and shook his head, "I did not."

Wolowix bent down and took a rock in his hand and mumbled something and the rock shifted to a hand held mirror and he flashed it before his face. Sheldor's eyes went wide at the hourglass tattoo from Chrsnyght's cheek was now etched into his skin. Before Sheldor could yell at the unnecessary blemish, the demon sung in his head, **"Before you get all crazy on me know that that is my bonding spell that I need to draw my powers to use for you. It's my signature upon your contract, so to speak. Don't worry… it'll be gone when I leave."**

Sheldor sighed and looked at Wolowix with one brow up. Wolowix was grinning and was just staring at him when Sheldor snapped, "What?" Wolowix just grinned and shrugged, "Feels fantastic to finally get to see your face as you're chatting with someone inside your head. I'm just glad it isn't me for once, is all!"

Sheldor nodded in approval and looked around. They were back right where they started. They needed a plan… a proper form of action. He knew he needed to find the witch, but the problem was the 'HOW'. Wolowix's voice cut into his thoughts and he turned around to see the blue aura that was shared with his arrows surrounding the short man. His arms were extended towards the ruins of the barn and Sheldor's eyes went wide as the barn was seemingly fixing itself. Fresh wood began to cover the charred remains and eventually… the hay barn was back in all its polished oak glory and Sheldor stepped beside the man. They both looked over Wolowix's masterpiece and with a grin on Sheldor's face, he took a shot at sarcasm, "You really are rusty… the barn was made of mahogany."

Wolowix turned his head quickly to look over at Sheldor with an impressed look, then back at the barn and they both shared a small laugh.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

Sheldor and Wolowix spent the rest of the day practicing new and old abilities.

Wolowix's innovagygr abilities were slightly rusty, but the more he practiced, the stronger the magic was. The innovagyr's powers were not just restricted to conjuration and regeneration… he was a wizard of many talents, but because he never obtained his Domini Gradu… no one really ever took him seriously. Just old Howardrick who fixed knick knacks and whose wife's heart was ripped out of her chest and then who disappeared without a trace. Wolowix growled and made a chimera from a stick, then back to a stick.

Sheldor tried to get a grasp upon the newest addition to his persons. The armor, itself, was no heavier than cloth. The gardbrace that expanded across his back and chest didn't pinch when he lifted his arm all the way up, it was as if the metal had become a part of his body. He flexed his hand and maneuvered it all around just to test its limitations when his entire arm morphed into a giant crab arm with a huge pincer at the end. He had stared at it for half a heartbeat before screaming and flinging his arm in the air only to have it back to its normal, armored self. Wolowix laughed as he sat on a log beside the fire he created and Sheldor scowled at him. It went on for hours until Sheldor found he could shoot out all kinds of projectiles, shift it into all types of objects (even a griffon's head), and even make himself go invisible with it. He didn't want to admit that he loved his new weapon and the demon was quite insightful and almost funny, but she was vulgar and didn't quite have a filter.

The two slept in the barn on fluffy mattresses that Wolowix conjured. They both laid on their backs and stared up at the magical fire's glow upon the ceiling before Wolowix's voice cleared the air, "You ever going to tell me what happened between you and Penelope?"

Sheldor tensed for a few seconds and stayed silent.

Wolowix tried again, "Look… I remember you diving after her and catching her. I freaked out and used one of my teleportation spells. I felt… weird when I did it… like a sinister force took over or something and then I went blank. The next thing I know… Penelope's gone… you have no heart… and you're making deals with the devil. What happened, Sheldor?"

Sheldor went through everything and he closed his eyes tight, "When you and I shot the witch's hand off and presumably saving Penelope's heart, it had turned out to be a lie. The witch was using her as a pawn to get me closer just so she could steal my heart. You missed nothing but betrayal, my friend. I'm just glad that you're alright."

Sheldor stopped the twitching as he expressed his sentiment to the man. His memory flooding him with kissing and naked bodies, thankful that Wolowix couldn't see him. The innovagygr's voice traveled to him again, "How are we going to find a castle that no one has ever found?"

Sheldor sighed and continued to look straight up, "The witch always has underlings, my dear Wolowix… and there is one I have yet to put an arrow into. Bawe Kwipke…"

Wolowix shot up a brow at the lisp of the name as Sheldor continued, "Bawe is an alchemist that my mentor and I had gone up against but were unsuccessful in capturing or killing him. He is a crafty little rodent and I'm positive that it was he who started that fire back at the village where we met that magic proofed ogre." He shook his head, "And what does one alchemist working for the witch have to do with finding the castle?"

Sheldor's eyes twitched as the man didn't let him finish, but he pushed through it and answered, "Underlings of the witch have had to have gone to the castle, thus, they are given its location when it has changed sites."

Wolowix nodded in approval, "Alright… where can we find the little pimple?"

Sheldor closed his eyes, "I have a pretty good idea where Kwipke is… Tomorrow, we will take the short travel to the Nailao Torta Fabrik… a pub right down in town where all the 'shady' folks meet. Now, we need our allotted 8 hours of sleep, so… goodnight Wolowix."

Wolowix smiled and shook his head, "Goodnight… Shelly."

Sheldor groaned but knew his argument for the man to stop calling him 'Shelly' was useless.

* * *

They woke up and tended to their morning rituals and met back at the barn. Sheldor admitted that it was weird not having his jacket or hat, but he felt stronger and more confident which, bothered him knowing that the weapon was a demon and he could only bare to think how much holy water his mother would bathed him in if she knew he'd given in to the devil. He shook his head of the thoughts as Wolowix stepped beside him and they both started walking down the path towards the bustling town. When they got a certain ways away from the barn; it collapsed back to its decayed form and the new boards turned to dirt.

They were nearly to the town, walking in silence, when a familiar bird call filled their ears. They stopped at the sheer volume of it as a whirlwind began to spin around them. They both looked up and their eyes widened and they sprung out of the way as huge talons dropped the black furred nerkanine on the ground then the bird flapped to a graceful landing. Sheldor dusted off his pants as he stood and looked up just in time to see Onar running towards him then sliding to a stop and pulling him in with a paw to hug him. The telepathy finally kicking in, **_"SHELDOR! Thank Qun! I thought you were dead!"_**

Sheldor pushed Onar's head, "Well, obviously I am not, so be so kind as to remove yourself from my persons."

The nerk whimpered with his ears down, but soon regained his happiness as seeing him again. Sheldor, though scowling, was very happy to see Onar as well. The nerk looked at his left arm with a tilted head, **_"Nice… where'd you get that? HEY… where's Wolowix?"_**

Before Sheldor had a chance to address this, Stephinaria fluttered down from her rainbow bird to the ground beside them. She looked distraught and only at Sheldor, "Where's Penny?"

Sheldor averted his gaze. He had gone almost all morning without thinking about her. He took in a breath and looked back at the fairy, "She rejoined her Lady after they both ripped my heart out of my chest."

The two looked at his chest and he raised his new metallic arm, shifting it into a wing of a bird, "I had to make a deal with a demon just so I could make it back here and kill the witch."

The fairy backed away, but the nerk was unfazed. He'd been with Sheldor for too long to just abandon him now… and he still wanted his revenge on the witch. Stephinaria stepped forward again and touched the metal that was infused with his neck then slid her hand up to the brand upon his cheek and ran her thumb over it. Her face was sad but torn between relief and anger.

She removed it and looked into his eyes, "Promise me… Promise me you won't forget who you are… Promise me you'll find Penelope and bring her back alive. You promise me this, Sir Sheldor… don't let the knowledge and power change who you really are."

She didn't wait for an answer… she just turned and fluttered to the back of her bird. She looked down at him one more time and yelled, "She needs you, Sheldor… she can't live without you!" With that, the bird launched into the air and soon was nothing more than a call in the wind.

Wolowix moved to stand beside Sheldor as all three men looked straight up. When they all looked down and at each other, Onar did a double take on the short innovagygr. Wolowix smiled as Onar's telepathy entered all their minds, **_"Wolowix? You… you're HUMAN!"_**

Wolowix nodded, "Yep… and pretty pumped about getting a crack at that witch." They both looked back at Sheldor, who was deep in thought at the fairy's words. _Don't let the knowledge and power change who you really are._ What did that mean? He looked at his left arm and a thought occurred to him… he had bonded with a demon… there was a pretty big chance that she would possess him and he would lose everything he ever was. Why wasn't she talking to him like Wolowix had? 'What is your plan, Chrsnyght?' he yelled in his head, but got no response. Onar's telepathy invaded his mind and he was snapped back to reality, **_"Helllooo… Sheldor? You still in there?"_**

He shook his head, "I haven't moved from this spot, so… yes… I'm still 'here'."

Wolowix grinned, "I let Onar here on our plan while you were in wonderland… I think we're ready to rumble."

Sheldor's eye twitched at that analogy, "Rumble? You're ready to move noisily? That will not benefit our conquest. I would believe it better to move at a quieter pace."

Wolowix raised a brow, "No… I meant… ugh… nevermind! Let's Go!"

* * *

As both men rode on the back of the nerk through town, there seemed to be a lot of suspicious people eyeballing them. Wolowix felt a tinge of nervousness as he saw a man pausing from sharpening his blade on a slab of leather with a man covered in white lather sitting in front of him. He swallowed and fought the urge to wrap his arms around Sheldor like a scared little girl. Sheldor spoke softly, "There, Onar." Onar turned at his direction and they all saw a wooden sign with Nailao Torta Fabrik burned into it across a shady looking door with two large men guarding it.

"Onar, they will not allow you within this establishment, only humanoids are allowed. Stand by and wait for our signal before you barge in." Sheldor hopped down and patted the nerk's back.

"**_How will I know what the signal is?"_**

Sheldor looked towards the two big men, "It will be improbable to miss… Come Wolowix."

Sheldor "convinced" the two burly gentlemen to let them in. A flaming arm pressing one of them against the wall by the throat seemed to be the secret password. They walked in and took in the site of large sweaty fishermen playing cards, smoking and drinking, with scantily clad barmaids rushing around. It was barely lit by an old, rickety chandelier with 12 candles almost hovering above the place by a rusty old chain. There were rounded tables with four or more chairs to each one and almost as many men covering it. The bar only had a few spaces open where the rest were covered with slurry talking men onto their next round of beers. When the two walked in, the static of many deep voices chatting went silent.

Sheldor stood confident as Wolowix hid behind him like a scared cat, his eyes flew over the entirety of the bar. He didn't see Bawe… but he did see Wesley. With a twitch of anger on his face, Sheldor stomped forward and the noise of talking began again.

Wesley Wheatson was a man that Sheldor had admired growing up with Gablehauser; he was everything he wanted to be. He had unique intelligence, a ruthless drive, and an adamant disregard for the 'nay-sayers', but when the town was under attack from the Minotaur; Wesley ran away and left the Minotaur to Gablehauser and him. His mentor… a fake… a charlatan! Yet the town still treated him like some kind of hero. Sheldor could feel a burning flow come over him and he swore he heard an ethereal growl come from his throat as he approached the man in a long, tan leather trench coat downing a shot at the bar.

Sheldor slammed his armored hand onto the bar right beside Wesly and caused the man to jump a little while Sheldor snarled, "Wheatson!"

Wesley smiled and turned towards him in his stool, "Oh Ho Ho… If it isn't ol' Sea Shells by the Sea Shore! Looking FIERCE there Shelly!"

Sheldor's eyes flared black as his armored hand on the bar began to crack the wood under his ever tightening grip, "I need to speak with you for a moment… in private."

Wolowix followed the two men into a back room of the pub and slams the door behind them. Sheldor and Wesley sit at a square table and Wesley looks back and forth at the two, "Alright Sheldor… what is this?"

Sheldor sighed, "I'm looking for Kwipke… and I know you know where he is. I just need for you to point me in his direction."

Wesley laughed, leaning back in his chair, "What… why in the Heaven's Gate would I know where that speech impaired crack pot of an alchemist would be?"

Sheldor slammed his armored fist onto the table, "Does it seem as if I was making a joke… if I were making a joke, I would bring up your career."

Wolowix covered his mouth with an 'Oooo' and an 'Oh Snap' before Wesley leaned back towards the table, "You're so cute when you're jealous, Sea Shell… Tell me… how's Eric doing?"

Sheldor jumped up with a blinding anger that took him a few minutes to control, "You will not soil his name, you traitorous WELP! Now tell me… WHERE'S BAWE KWIPKE!"

Wesley leaned back against the chair and looked at Sheldor solemnly, "Information doesn't come cheap, Shelly."

Sheldor had a growl in his throat, "What's your price?"

Wesley grinned.

* * *

Sheldor stood on top of the bar and cleared his throat. When the men didn't quiet down, he yelled, "If I may have your attention, Gentlemen… My name is Sir Sheldor of Galstire… and I am…" He hesitated and looked down at Wesley, who was grinning up a storm with a mug of beer in his hands.

Sheldor snarled at him and straightened back up, "I am a pretty little princess who thinks Wesley Wheatson is the greatest man alive. He's so handsome and fantastic that I would be lucky to even LICK one of his boots."

Sheldor's face was twitched and twisted in anger as he jumped down off the bar while the men began to laugh. Wesley raised his beer towards him as Wolowix had to hide his face behind his hands as he laughed. Wesley took a swig of his beer and leaned over, "When the short and long hand on the clock touch eleven… Bawe will be right here at the bar. He doesn't sit down… he just take orders a large one, drinks it down, and takes off. Cheers Shelly… and… I'll keep my boots clean for you whenever you wanna lick'em." He gave off a cocky laugh, moving to the back of the pub, again, this time with two women under each arm.

Wolowix stood beside him, shaking his head, "That man is a GOD."

Sheldor scowled, "Yes... a God of feces…"

* * *

The men of the Nailao Torta Fabrik were almost a constant barnacle upon the stools and chairs of the establishment. There were barely anyone leaving or entering as Sheldor and Wolowix sat at the back of the bar. They had ordered leg of lamb just so the owner would not question their presence. Wolowix shared a few drinks of mead with a group of darkly tanned sailors. He was embarrassingly buzzed as the long hand reached the point between the 10 and the 11. Sheldor's eyes kept falling to a veiled woman in the corner across from them.

She had a Bindi upon her forehead and a ruby decoration dripping from her darkened hairline. Her eyes were dark and focused, he was sure she didn't miss anything in the room. She was so far back in the shadows that he couldn't really make anything else out about her other than she was Indian in race.

The sound of the door being pulled open caught Sheldor's attention.

His eyes flung to the new visitor and the demon in him purred. Bawe walked in without as much as a look around the pub. Sheldor looked over at Wolowix and rolled his eyes at how useless he was when he wasn't a crossbow. He got up and got behind the alchemist as he downs his beer. Bawe was shorter than Sheldor (as most people were) with short black hair and a steam-punk look to him. Long coat, big boots, metallic fibers traced all over his body, copper colored-lens goggles rested on top of his head, and tight leather pants with chains draped from them. The most discernible thing about Bawe Kwipke was his lips, he looked and sounded ridiculous, but not too many people who made fun of him lived past their first three laughs.

Bawe still had the cup tilted as he turned around. He choked on the gulp he had going and spewed into the cup as Sheldor loomed over him. Bawe coughed a little before rattling off, "Howwy Cwap!" Bawe reached back and put his cup down as he rubbed his hands with the condensation from the cup in his hand. Sheldor swallowed, he knew that an alchemist could perform lethal actions with just a drop of water so he clinched his armored arm and willed it to be ready for anything.

Bawe and Sheldor stared at one another and the drunken men around them peeled off and while the entire pub went silent. Wolowix patted one of the huge guys he was drinking with on the cheek with a very drunk hand and slurred, "Looks like shit just got real… 'scuse me fellas… gotta go die real fast. Ke-keep the beers cold…"

Sheldor raised his armored arm as he kept his eyes on the alchemist, "Hello, Kwipke… it's been far too long since I have seen you last."

Bawe smiled, "Oh yeah… When was dat… Oh wight… I was setting that wittle boy on fire and you were twying to put him out. Qwite a sad sight." He chuckled and Sheldor was none too impressed.

Sheldor took a step forward and Bawe readied himself. Sheldor's eyes were almost flaming black that only Bawe could see, as the witch hunter leaned down to where only Bawe could hear him, "I am only going to ask this once… Where's the witch's castle?"

Bawe laughed again and turned his back on Sheldor to finish his beer. Sheldor's instincts tingled and his left arm shot out by itself, slicing through the menacingly sharp beer-cicle that was aimed at his chest. The wood under Sheldor's feet launched him backwards and into the air and Bawe spun around where he stood with a snarl and threw his arms out in the air. The bar snapped and threw sharpened stakes right at him.

Wolowix acted fast. He reached his hand towards the floor and a large samurai extends from the wood and slices the stakes into splinters allowing Sheldor to recover by sliding across the dusty floor until his back hits the wall. Wolowix sent his samurai forward but Bawe raised his hands at his side, liquid from the kegs and bottles erupted out and drenched the samurai. With a wicked grin, the alchemist snapped his fingers, causing the warrior to erupt in flames.

Wolowix covered his face with a forearm then ran to Sheldor, "We need to take this outside before somebody gets hurt."

Sheldor nodded, "Then it's time we give Onar our signal." Sheldor lifted his armored arm to the side, it shot out and stretched like a whip as Wolowix backed up. He flung it at the flaming samurai and it wrapped around its waist. In a strong momentum, Sheldor flung the ball of flame through the wall of the pub's entrance and out into the street. The two men at the door looked in the gaping hole, then bolted leaving Onar to fill the space, **_"He was right... couldn't miss that."_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Bawe had fire whipping out towards them as the wood under their feet tried to pierce them. Onar sprinted forward, dodging ever spear of wood that tried to skewer him. He leapt into the air and went teeth first only for bands of wood to wrap around his throat and pull him to the ceiling.

Sheldor used the whip form of his arm to shatter the beams and Onar fell to the floor on all fours.

Wolowix sent little wooden balls with sharp teeth bouncing after the alchemist as Onar tried to attack again. Bawe would kick them and send the nerk flying in another direction, Sheldor took his chance. He ran forward, his left arm out as it shifted into a huge, long blade. Bawe sent spears of wood from every direction, but Wolowix had him covered. Bawe dodged the slicing attacks and dove towards the hole. Sheldor spun and was distracted for a moment by the Indian woman still in the corner, but his attention snapped back to Bawe and he ran after him.

Outside in the town, Sheldor ran out of the alley to the main street where Bawe was waiting with a smile on his face, "You know I am never weally awone, wight Sheldor? You and your mewwy band of do-gooders don't stand a chance against Wady Fowlewa. But, you won't get to find out…"

There was a crack of thunder and Bawe whistled into the night air. The smell of rain took over his senses and a quake was forming. Around the corner, an enormous three-headed dog trotted and stood behind the alchemist, "Sheldor… meet my newest cweation… I call him number thwee… THWEE… KILL!"

Each one of the dog's heads snarled and Bawe smiled smugly.

Wolowix stepped forward, determined to burst this guy's bubble. He rubbed his hands together and muttered an incantation then stopped his hand movements. He opened his eyes and they were blazing blue and he clapped his hands together. The sound reverberated loudly and the huge three headed canine burst into smoke. When the smoke cleared, there was a small plush three-headed dog on the ground. Wolowix smiled, "Awww… isn't that cuuute…"

Bawe snarled and snapped his fingers and the plush set on fire. Wolowix was about to express how much of a spoil-sport he was until the first grew and formed into a dragon very eerily like the gila-monster fire in Kardiaflora. It snapped its flaming jaws and lunged forward. Onar and Wolowix dove to the side while Sheldor stood his ground. There was something boiling inside of him… something he couldn't quite control… his eyes bore black again and his arm began to almost bubble and ooze a black tar. The dragon of fire engulfed around Sheldor, leaving his friends screaming his name and Bawe clenching his hands as if crushing him in his hands. Suddenly, the bright flames of the dragon dimmed down and then oozed like Sheldor's arm was doing. The ooze seeped into Sheldor's arm and Bawe looked horrified.

* * *

Sheldor was hovering above the ground like a scarecrow, again, and he slowly went back to the ground. His head moved down to bow as his arm rose before him in a clenched fist pointed towards Bawe.

Bawe mumbled a spell that made the ground twine around him like a snake. Sheldor opened his eyes and the blackened eyes oozed out the darkness like smoke, his arm jerking back before a sharpened projectile shot out of his arm and whistled towards the coiled snake. The projectile burned through the object like metal through water and the creature erupted into black ash then into nothingness revealing the projectile penetrated its mark. Bawe looked down at the long black arrow with midnight blue fletching with silver on the tips. It seeped into the alchemist and his body went rigid. Wolowix and Onar watched in horror as Sheldor walked towards him menacingly.

Sheldor nearly bumped noses with the alchemist as he finally stopped and stared down at the helpless alchemist. Sheldor gave a monstrous grin full of sharpened shark-like teeth with his eyes blackened with tiny slits of blue. The hourglass upon his cheek burned red like the edges of the marks were on fire. Bawe began to shiver in fear as all he could do was stare at the creature before him. A demonic voice ripped into the air with a crisp bass, **"Hello Kwipke… I know I said I would only ask this once, but seeing as how you don't have any beer to throw at me… let me see if we can do this again… Where is the witch's castle?"**

Bawe's body and his lip quivered, but words managed to get out, "As much as I am afwaid of you… I'm morwa afwaid of Wady Fowlewa. You won't get anything fwom me."

The demonic Sheldor tisked through his shark teeth and shrugged, **"Pity."**

Sheldor took two steps back then turned his back and walked towards his friends all while the point where the dark arrow hit began to burn a hole where it penetrated. Bawe screamed in utter agony as the blackness quickened and combusted the alchemist into nothing but charred bones and flakes of ash snowing to the ground. His screams still echoing against the buildings.

Onar and Wolowix both stared at the remains as Sheldor walked in between them back towards the pub.

* * *

As Sheldor walked, his human self fought to come back. His eyes finally reverted back to the cobalt color they normally were. He bypassed the bar when he got to the pub that was completely vacant of everyone except the Indian lady still in the corner, and headed straight for the men 's room. There was a vile stench, but he just slammed the door, locked it, and slammed his hands on either side of the mirror. There was an unearthly growl forming in the back of his throat as his anger once again soared. He jerked his head up and stared at the reflection with a snarl, **"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME? YOU'RE TRYING TO POSSESS ME! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"**

Chrsnyght's appeared in the mirror with a very unimpressed face, **"Me? I'm not trying to possess you…" **She slipped through the mirror and Sheldor backed up as she sat upon the sink,** "I warned you how unpredictable Demonic Magic could be. YOU are the one turning yourself into a demon… not me. Note the white pupils in my eyes compared to your swirling black mass of smoke. That means I have clarity… that I'm not throwing around my emotions all willy-nilly like you like some sexless drone finding out that he's a REAL BOY. The Demonic Magic is feeding off of your anger and making it a weapon, making YOU a weapon. The more you depend on or hang onto that anger… the more the demon is going to feed and the more you're going to change. You can't control Demonic Magic, Sheldor… Stop trying to control everything around you! Learn to let go. Sometimes… you gotta just let go… and give in to temptation."**

She evaporated into thin air as Sheldor aimed down at her but shattered the sink instead.

* * *

He screamed at the mirror with wrath and contempt as his armored hand scrapes down the wall with deep marks. His head dipped down as he began to pant. Chrsnyght's voice came to him, again, from the mirror, **"Love…" **The word made Sheldor look up with smoking black eyes and she continued,** "Love is a strong magic... did you know that? OF COURSE you did, but… I'm just going to assume you don't have any idea of what LOVE really is and explain… Love is stronger than ANY spell, than ANY demonic possession, and ANY witch's brew that ever existed… It can rip you apart and mend you from any wound. It is the only thing in this world that no man can predict, grasp, or control. It can be used as a weapon… as a liberation … even as a cure. That is what makes Love and Demonic Magic ultimate enemies. Neither one can dominate the other, but neither can they exist on the same plane of existence. Where one is present, the other is absent. For instance, tell me, Sheldor…Do you love Penelope?"**

Sheldor's head rose slowly until his newly cobalt blue eyes connected with her white pupils and completely vacant of the blackness that had consumed them.

She looked at him with a smirk as the blackened eyes seeped back into his pupils to reveal his blue eyes, **"I thought so…"** Chrsnyght rippled into the mirror and showed Penelope. She was in a darkened dungeon with a rope tightly noosed around her neck with her toes barely touching the ground. Her hands were bound in front of her, but the rope was staked into the ground so that she couldn't raise her hands high enough to loosen the strain of her neck.

Her eyes were black and blue; her cheeks were bruised and had deep cuts in them. Her lip was busted and the top of her left ear had a notch ripped out of it. Her black body suit had long rips with deep wounds underneath. The only thing that hadn't been sliced was her feet, her boots barely dangled to the ground.

The sound of the rope's bending clicked filling his ears as he watched her sway lifelessly. Her eyes were closed in a painful display of swollenness. A rat-like humanoid with armored skin and quills jutting backward stepped up with a whip. It had beady yellow eyes and a turtle shell on its back. Its skin looked slimy and infested with mange as it gave a throaty chuckle. Another creature that resembled the first, only taller, stepped behind him with a female creature that looked like the males, but her face was more of a hyena than a rat. She snarled a smile and Sheldor could see the Morningstar scepter hanging from her hip as she spoke an unknown language that was a rudiment of clicks, growls, and snapping of the tongue and the three left.

Chrsnyght's voice cut in, **"Say hello to the Skaldjilk. They are better known as Orcs and the first guardians of Lady Fowler's arc. She has over 200 of these monsters right in her pocket. Some she has in the castle just in case intruders DO make it through the three arcs. That female orc there is called Alicyka. She is the leader of the whole Skaldjilk Grex. She has a thing for your girl and I don't mean in a 'Happy Happy Fun Time' kinda way. It's rare that she is in the castle, but it seems that Lady Fowler has been having some issues with controlling Penelope since she met you. Usually… she just zaps her and she whines like a puppy and is back at her side all happily, but NOW… she can't even HOLD her heart without getting burned. So, for Penelope's punishment for disobeying her master… Alicyka is ordered to beat your girl until she breaks. And for the three days you've been missing from the world… she hasn't been broken yet. For some reason, though, they were ordered to stop. Seems as if Lady Fowler has something better planned."**

Sheldor's stomach fell and his eyes watered with emotion, his eyes slowly starting to shift back into their normal human look. He bowed his head and groaned in frustration. His cries were animalistic, but soon they turned into a human male's wailing. He heard a small female whimper and Sheldor's eyes flew back to the image.

* * *

Penelope's swollen eyes opened to show that she was still, in fact, alive, but her olive eyes were blood shot and squinted as she cringed in pain. She fought against her restraints, whimpering in pain as she does, but nothing was accomplished. She didn't move for a short time; as if she were deep in thought. It was then that a streaming trail of tears traced down her bloodied face and across her deepened wounds as she whispers to no one within the dungeon, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry Sheldor." She sobbed even as she struggled for air… she sobbed not because of the pain she was in… but for him.

Sheldor's teeth, hair, skin, and eyes popped back to its normal tint at the sound of his name on her lips. The image of Penelope was gone from the mirror and nothing was left but his own reflection. Tears he didn't know he was shedding slowly trickling down his cheek.

He felt… normal… and in control but his heart began to burn with agony. He did his best to push the image of Penelope out of his head as he assessed himself by lifting his arm and twisting it around. He looked back at the mirror with his brows dipped in confusion and he muttered, "Why would she even be thinking of me at a time like that? A time where those creatures were beating her senseless! She's been tortured and beaten and she cries… for me? Why…" He stepped back not looking away from the mirror, clenching his fists. The demon didn't answer, but really, he didn't expect her to. All he knew was that he had to save her… No… He was going to save her!

He shook his head and headed back to the pub's main entry way. Onar and Wolowix stood at the hole in the wall and looked at him worriedly, "I'm sorry, friends… I… I seem to have found a balance of my powers, now."

The two entered the pub with smiles, glad to see their friend was, somewhat, back to normal.

The Indian woman emerged from the shadows that Sheldor had been curious about. He was startled, not by her traditional Indian attire, but by the large wings that were folded pristinely upon her back. The deep red and white wings matched her kaccha nivi almost flawlessly. Her walk was meticulous and almost royal-like. The headdress and ankle jewelry jingled as she walked towards them, her bindi was red and a single, oval jewel upon a chain hung down to almost matched its position perfectly.

Sheldor was not impressed, but she had the other two's attention as she spoke with her accent beautifully fluent, "Greetings young warriors. I am Pryna… daughter of Vrishin and Jyoti Koothrappali… sister to Rajesh… and a child of the sky or, as the land dwellers call us… Garuda. I am here seeking out my brother who has gone missing. We have sent scouts over every inch of land but have yet to find him. I have done a lot of snooping and have found all the evidence I need to know that my brother is now being held captive by the Blood Witch's daughter. My father wishes for his safe return, so I have been given orders to find the most suitable companions to retrieve him."

Onar tilted his head as Wolowix looked at her strangely as Sheldor spoke, "The people of the sky usually do not ask for assistance from the land dwellers… you believe yourselves higher than the rest of us... ridicule us… take from us even when we have nothing left to give… why would we want to help you?

She narrowed her eyes, "Not all of us are heathens, Sir Sheldor. I offer you the information you have been seeking. As I've said, my brother is being held captive by Lady Fowler… and I know where he is."

* * *

Sheldor didn't like the way the woman looked at him. He was not opposed to the Garuda race, but he had seen one of them in their full Roc form and took about six cows in one swoop with a massive grip of its large feet and bolted up into the sky. He was supposed to get those cattle to a sell, but the Garuda just stole with no apology. Sheldor knew it wasn't this woman; her plumage color did not match. He pinched the bridge of his nose, then shot his head up and spoke in a loud voice, "You know where the castle is?"

Pryna gave a short nod, "We are people of the sky, Sir Sheldor… our eyes see what the wind can touch. Know this… I am the only chance you have of finding your woman."

Sheldor stood closer to the winged woman with a serious look, "What makes you believe we're strong enough to save your brother?"

She cleared the space and was nearly nose to nose, "Because you have everything to gain… and nothing to lose."

Sheldor swallowed then looked over at Wolowix, who just raised his brow, then over to Onar, who gave a nod, then back to the Hindu angel before him, "Very well… how will we get to the witch's castle?"

Pursing her lips, she took a step back and her wings expanded. She had long pair of wings that were twice her body length then there was a smaller, second pair that was no shorter than her arms that expanded from her lower back as she smiled solemnly, "We fly, of course."

Sheldor stood back and gave a smirk at huge span as his two companions jumped back at the suddenness of her extension. Sheldor walked towards her and extended his hand, uncharacteristically, and spoke, "Miss Koothrappali… consider yourself one of us."

Wolowix grinned behind him as Sheldor and Pryna shook hands, "One of us… One of us!"

* * *

Lady Fowler stood at the pedestal, where Rakooth was unfolded, showing her Penelope, as she flexed her metallic replacement arm. Easy magic, limb proxy was easy enough, but it still bothered her.

How did that witch hunter's ridiculous magic even penetrate her shield? The bow made from her Aunt's bones shouldn't have even tickled her let alone abolish her appendage. It frustrated her… to not be in control… to not understanding the situation… to not have that bastard under her boot. She sighed inwardly and looked up to see her once obedient slave, now fighting her every attempt to bringing her back to her once subservient self. She needed her heart… still flowing with only a slight hint of purity that she needed to keep her body from shattering like a porcelain doll. She needed that witch hunter's heart… the unbelievable power that it held… it could free her mother and enhance her powers 100 fold, but the damn thing disappeared… even masked its aura so she couldn't trace it.

She slammed the book shut with a grunt of aggravation, "Explain something to me, Rakooth… why can I not control my own minion and why can I not find that BASTARD'S HEART!"

She banged her metallic hand against the wall she leaned on, "I barely give her a little wiggle room to seduce this man, and she returns to me with her heart filled with protection spells. She STILL fights me… and on top of that… how does one have the ability to place an arcane spell upon a vital organ while dying? He really cannot be THAT powerful. Rakooth! Find me that HEART!"

The tattered cover snaps open and a miasma form above the open pages and twists into plethora of different shapes until it decides on the floating head of a Rhesus monkey. Rakooth's Indian accent slips through as the monkey's jaws move up and down, "My Lady… even when I manage to pinpoint the heart's location; it has already moved. Tracing it has become quite impossible."

Lady Fowler's eyes burn red. She raised her metallic arm, holding her palm up as a green flame erupted, a heart beating furiously in her hands. The green flame around it had intensified to the point that it whipped and lashed out randomly. Lady Fowler extended her arm so the flame wouldn't burn her clothing. If it had not been for the metal appendage, the heart would've easily had burned away the flesh. The girl's heart had been charmed… but how? She'd had it the whole time. When did that arrogant witch hunter have time to place a spell upon her 'Bestie'? The blonde was becoming far too much of a hassle and needed to be disposed of, but… finding another female with a pure heart was tiring and she didn't have time. She NEEDED to find that witch hunter's heart.

Rakooth's form shifted and the mist became a crooked mirror that showed Penelope still hanging. Lady Fowler stepped towards the scene and watched the limp, defeated body of her once feisty 'Bestie' and a yellow flame burned into her eyes. She didn't understand why a lowly man such as Sheldor meant so much to this… drone. Penelope's tears bled down her cheeks and Lady Fowler heard her words, "I'm… I'm so sorry Sheldor." The flames of Lady Fowler's mask went out completely and showed her true eyes. They had sadness for the girl in them as she stared at her sobbing drone.

Rakooth's voice broke her focus and a blue flame filled the eye sockets of the mask, "My Lady, your alchemist has just been killed."

Lady Fowler backed up, "By WHO?"

Rakooth didn't even hesitate, "Sheldor."

Lady Fowler shook her head, "He was far too flighty, anyway. Good riddance."

Rakooth spoke again, but his voice was almost frightful, "My Lady… there is more… the… the witch hunter's heart is gone."

Lady Fowler's eyes were a menacing red, "WHAT! HOW?"

Rakooth formed into strings reverberating as he spoke, "I'm not sure… It's… It's just gone."

She spun and spoke, "I need to speak with my mother… inform the Skaldjilk Grex that their services are required for battle. Make sure their catapults are ready and aimed towards the sky. The Garuda are headed our way."

She marched out of the room without so much as another word and misses the mist of the book rise high above the pages into an Indian boy with golden brown wings staring after her with grief-stricken eyes.

* * *

Lady Fowler's steps were swift and daunting as her boots clicked against the wooden floor of the pristine castle hallway. Tables with flowers upon them or old artifacts from a past life sitting on them, paintings of older women with tradition garb on, perfect collections of medieval armor standing with axes and swords in hand, and a candle sconce on the wall for every 12 feet were just some of the items that Lady Fowler passed as she stomped forward. The candles burst into flame as her close passing and expended once she passed. The armor almost seemed to stand straighter at attention as she passed them. Even the painting's eyes seemed to follow her as she moved. She finally made her way to the beginning of a hallway and she turned into it.

She stared up and down the enormous honey red oak door. No handle or crease was visible, but the top of the frame came to a dramatic spaded point. She moved her eyes down to the old man's face with a snazzy dark tanned hat and a large thick, silver ring in his mouth. The old man's face was in a weird smirk, even with the ring intricately placed, and his short boxed beard was full gray and well trimmed despite the known craziness of the gargoyle.

She stepped forward and took the ring in her metallic hand and knocked upon the door once and spoke, "Rothman… I would like to see my mother."

The old man's face cracked and popped as the wood came to life. He looked up at her with carved wooden eyes and a huge, gangly grin on his face as he talked clearly with no problems from the ring seemingly plastered into his mouth, "Well HELLO there handsome! Come to steal my apples, have you, you devilish worm! I will not give up without a fight!"

He snapped his jaws towards Lady Fowler and she began to lose her patience. Her eyes burned a little red and slapped the wooden man's face. He yelped like a baby bird and looked up at her as she spoke again, "I have come to see my mother… if you want your lower jaw to still be intact… I advise you to open the door immediately." She gripped the ring tightly with her eyes blaring red. She slowly began to pull the ring tighter and tighter.

Rothman began to whimper the tighter she pulled before he began loudly barking 'Alright'. Lady Fowler let the ring go and it bonked against the wood a few times as the old man moved his wooden jaw left a right a few times before going completely still. There was a crack that split from the center of his nose and up past his hat and down past his chin that went the length of the entire door. Slowly the wood began to split open and opened towards Lady Fowler. A rush of smoke and air hissed out until the doors were finally open.

Inside Lady Fowler could see the large, old sycamore tree at the end of a grassy walk way that was surrounded by water. The leaves of the tree were a blood red. Lady Fowler started to move down the grass towards the tree. There was a small golden glow against the trunk of the tree that she could never stop staring at, no matter how many times she came here. It was the arrow that Sheldor used to trap her mother within this tree. She had brought men of knowledge, beasts of strength, and myths of magic yet nothing budged the arrow. Only the one who placed the seal upon the arrow could break it… Sheldor.

She stopped where the roots of the tree waved down into the ground below and reached up to the mask. She placed her hands upon the face of the mask and it came to life like the tentacles of a squid. They wrapped around her hands and she pulled the monstrosity away. Her eyes were still intact, but upon her cheek were small hairline cracks that were formed from the missing lower half of her entire face. Under her nose were jagged edges then a hollowness that led down to her shoulders. The sides of her neck were still intact, but were just as cracked at the edges of her face. The short trunk molded around the arrow until the body of her mother morphed and protruded from the bark, "Hello my child… back again, I see. Let me guess… you lost the heart."

Lady Fowler's eyes went downcast, "Yes, mother."

Lordornia's arms form from the wood and they rose up with pops and cracks of the bark. She slammed them on either side of her and pushed her wooden form as far as the arrow would allow, "Foolish girl! You allowed that simpleton of a drone to complicate your advances."

Lady Fowler felt like a sullen puppy around her mother. She was a heartless creature, but she was always there when she needed her. She kept her eyes downcast as she spoke, "I needed her to get close, mother. I had to find a vulnerable spot to strike him before I could remove his heart. It was a part of your plan, mother. The moment it was in my hands and his lifeless body fell to the ground… it disappeared into thin air. Now, Rakooth is unable to locate its essence."

Lordornia hummed lowly with a knowing tone, "Where did you leave his body?"

Lady Fowler spoke, "The Disavowal Dimension."

Lordornia's eyes went wide, "WHAT? You left him there? Please tell me you set his body on fire before you left."

Lady Fowler looked up, "No mother, I didn't."

Lordornia cursed under her breath then stood up straight with the arrow still where her heart would be, "FOOL! The demon's daughter still resides there… she'll use him to get revenge! Quickly… show me the girl's heart!"

Lady Fowler looked cross and Lordornia looked down, "What are you doing? Why are you just standing there? SHOW ME HER HEART!"

Lady Fowler took her metallic hand and presented the heart in her hand. The moment the heart presented itself, it exploded with blue pulse that rippled through Lady Fowler and Lordornia with a painful blow and jolting energy. It retracted the Blood Witch back into the tree with a wallowing scream and sent Lady Fowler flying back and sliding against the grass. The heart disappeared the moment it attacked.

She got back up, slowly, and stared madly at the place she was once standing. She got tossed back more than 15 feet and her mother was pushed back into the tree. As she stood to her feet, he raised her right hand, where the squid like mask was gripping tightly, and the mask covered her face again. Her eyes burned a red tone that was indescribably anger and she spoke out loud.

"My sweet sweet Bestie… you hold Sir Sheldor's heart and you don't even know it!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

Sheldor stared at a monumental trailer with two large handles on both sides of it that had two enormous birds perched on each of them. The trailer had two windows on the side that they faced with a glorious jade framed in the center of it, but no handles a sign of a door there. The rest of the trailer seemed to be made of gold with the traces of jade in them.

Onar and Wolowix stared slack jaw as they slipped beside Sheldor.

Onar's telepathy reached both of them, **_"You never know how bad you got it until you see how a princess travels."_** As he shared that thought, the three turned their heads to the left to watch Pryna, her nose snobbishly in the air, walk towards the golden door framed with jade. She placed a single hand in the center of the space between the jade frame and begun to sing an Indian folk song. Her bindi began to glow. The glow's waves made swirls of maroon markings upon her body and they seemingly multiplied from her head, to her neck, then finally down to her hand that was upon the door. From her hand, there was a series of henna markings bleeding into a circle and spreading. From their point of view, it looked like it was forming into a sun shape design, it was very beautiful.

Within a few seconds, the art burned into the door with a deep red pulse and she stepped away. The space between the jade with the sun burned into it… evaporated and left an opening. She turned and smiled and swept her hand, "This will take you to your castle."

Sheldor looked at both his companions then pushed forward, the other two not far behind.

The inside was almost as rich as the outside. There was a large diamond shaped rug that sprawled across the entirety of the floor where only a few bits of floor underneath were visible. There were intricate designed chairs encircling a low, flat, slate rock topped table. The chairs had no back, but did have arm rests. Sheldor only quipped that it had to be hard to sit in a chair with a back if you had wings. The floors and walls were plain cream and there didn't seem to be much else within the trailer.

Pryna asked them all to sit and they obliged. Onar sat on his haunches beside Sheldor and his chair.

* * *

It was hard for Sheldor to sit in the small little cushioned chair since it was so low to the ground, but he didn't complain. He did, however, had to narrow his eyes at the short innovagygr as he snorted a laugh. Pryna snapped her fingers and there was a lurch in their stomachs as the huge birds took flight with the trailer secured in their talons. She called out, "Venkatesh!" A male Garuda swooped inside from one of the windows and landed with a bit of a stumble.

The man had an arm full of scrolls and books and he walked towards the table. Pryna rolled her eyes at the male and looked at Sheldor, "This is my cousin, Venkatesh. Though he is as useless as the wings of a peacock on an elephant… he is very good at reversing curses. Venkatesh believes he knows how to change my brother back."

Sheldor's eyes glowed interest. He could feel the demon inside him moving, but his thoughts of Penelope were keeping it at bay. His thoughts were on the infertility curse on Penelope's belly. He wondered if this man could find a remedy for the brand. He would make note to ask him once they had rescued Rajesh, but he had an inquiry, "Pryna… tell us a little bit about your brother and his current situation. How did he end up in the witch's castle?"

Pryna started by explaining a little bit about their family, "My mommy and daddy are Dusara, or 'Beta', of the Garuda Jhunda, or flock. It is safe to say that our particular family is rich, powerful, and second in command under the Pahale, or Alpha. My brother Rajesh, when he was only a hatchling just learning to fly in his humanoid form, hurt his wing and fell to the land. He was lost for three days. A little human girl, no more than 7 human years, had helped him mend his hurt wing and would stay with him at night. Well, Rajesh was far too shy to speak, but the girl was more than happy to talk. Her father was an astrologist and she spoke to him about the stars. That's what got him started with his obsession of the human world. When he turned 18, he snuck out of our sanctum and down to the land. He found an old keep owned by an aged magus where he found a book on astrology. Though he loved the human world, he was not quite as knowledgeable as he needed to be. He walked out of the keep with the book, knowing that he could easily go get an egregious amount of money for the old man, but didn't pay for it. The magus did not take kindly to my brother's thievery and attacked him with spells. The magus's spells had not effect for Garuda are impervious to jinxes and attack spells, but not curses. The magus had become very irritated and prepared a curse, but first he asked my brother 'why did you steal from me?'. Instead of Rajesh explaining who he is or what he was, he just said 'for knowledge'. The magus was furious at this and the man snorted 'you want knowledge, huh? Well, you GOT it freak'. The curse hit him and twisted his body into that of a worn out, dirty, burned out Book of Knowledge. My brother's incessant need of knowing everything got him what he desired. The old magus put him on the shelf and left him there for a year and a half before the Blood Witch and her daughter came to the keep. The man didn't answer the witch's questions, so she ripped his heart out and left him AND his heart on the floor as she set the store on fire. It was Lady Fowler who sensed my brother's aura and took him off the shelf. I have witnesses who saw the woman clasping the book to her chest. My brother is in that castle… he's the one who tells her who has the purest hearts. He is a good person, but he has been confiscated by an evil woman. My job is to retrieve him."

Sheldor pursed his lips, "What is your exact plan in retrieving your brother? Lady Fowler is a master of black magic, which happens to be mostly made up OF curses. Let's say that we do find your brother… what if he refuses to leave with you? Are you prepared to take him by force?"

Pryna, Wolowix, Venkatesh, and Onar all looked at him, then all eyes went to Pryna. She looked stern and steadfast, "Garuda are not just birds of prey, Sir Sheldor… I am what your youth would call a 'pied piper'. I am what is called a Jadu Bansurivadaka in our village." She took out a honey tanned bansuri and demonstrated her ability. It was a deep, melodic, and almost ethereal sound as she played no particular song. It was beautiful to Sheldor's ears and he barely noticed that he and his friends were no longer within the confines of the trailer, but were now underwater and surrounded by fish and sea creatures alike.

The music had engulfed them within a mirage of magic. He looked dubious as he spoke and bubbles floated from his mouth with every word, "You are what my mentor would call a Cadence Conjuror. You sing and song your victims till they hurt themselves. You're magic is but a parlor trick, madam. Lady Fowler will see right through it."

Pyrna scowled and she played her bansuri furiously. Sheldor felt something tighten in his chest as everything went out of his sight except the mirrors that surrounded him. He felt himself rip out of his own body to be within one of the mirror's that circled his new body. Sheldor watched in horror as his current self covered in black ooze and shifted into a 7 foot tall, completely blackened form of a were lion form with ram horns that circled around his head and his jolted out lion ears, and a cloven-hoofed lower body. His teeth were jagged like a shark's mouth and his tail was an enormous king cobra. Sheldor didn't have any proof that the creature before him was actually him, but, yet, he knew it WAS him.

* * *

The creature's eyes were entirely crimson red and that's what color it bled down the side of the eyes at a constant drip. The creature floated and laughed and gave a ghostly growl towards him. Sheldor could hear the music of the bansuri pause, but nothing disappeared. The demon him paused as well, yet he could still move. That's when Chrsnyght slipped beside him and made him nearly jump out of his tailor made pants.

She was looking at the demon him for a few seconds before she finally talked, **"What do you think of the new you? Stylish… right? Figures a song bird would be the one to finally show you the 'Bad News' of our liaison."**

Sheldor looked at her with his brows furrowed, "Preposterous! This is just a figment of that retched bird woman's magic to try and scare me… nothing more."

Chrsnyght gave a little light laugh and finally looked at him with those blacked out eyes and white pupils, **"You are SO CUTE when you're wrong. Sheldor, I've told you that Demon Magic is unpredictable… at least a bazillion times! THIS is the side effect… You become a demon yourself. This particular form that you see here is called your Bazinga form. It is a mock form of your inner demon… which seems to be that of a Chimera." **

She huffed a sigh and looked at him, **"Sort of like an animal spirit… totem thing, but it's... you know... evil. There's not much you can do once you're in Bazinga mode. It's like a werewolf on a full moon. You're a beast on the hunt and anything that moves is on your list of slaughter. The reason you get this way is not determined, but I can tell you this… it's you at your most lowest."**

Sheldor turned his head towards the demonic him and he felt his lungs tighten, "Bazinga... mode? What? You speak as if I will have no choice in the matter of becoming...THAT thing! And… you say that there is a chance that I will hurt the people I care for? This is not something I agreed to, DEMON! I must ask that you relieve yourself from my persons IMMEDIATELY!"

She turned her eyes towards the demon him and had a stern face, **"It's too late. My demon essence is already in your veins. Even if I leave… you'll still have the demon present. There is a darkness in us all Sheldor and the Demon Magic has a tendancy of finding that little speck of insanity, that strand of vulgarity, and that cloudiness of evil that builds itself stronger the further we press it back into our minds and turns it into a real live monster. This… This creature… is you at your most sadistic… when everything in that big honking brain of yours just shuts down and the beast goes viral within your whole body. This isn't some bedtime story, Sheldor. This is reality. YOUR reality."**

Sheldor swallows and turns to Chrsnyght, "Am I powerful enough to kill Lady Fowler in this form?"

The demon turns her head then her whole body towards him and floats a little bit to come eye to eye with him, **"In that form… you are powerful enough to rip time and space apart like a piece of tissue paper."**

Sheldor's emotional facial expressions quell and he turns back to the creature with a dubious plan in his head, yet he only spoke, "I see…"

Chrsnyght gave a smile and snorted a laugh, **"Humans… will you EVER learn?"**

Sheldor looked over at the demon as the bansuri's music began to play again but she had disappeared. The music of the bansuri seemed to stop and he and his two companions were back in the Garuda's trailer as Pryna pulled the flute off her lips with a cocky grin. Sheldor was nowhere near impressed, but he kept his mouth shut for he was now aware of what he truly was. There was a scream of a bird from outside and Pryna jumped up with Venkatesh slowly rising up. Pryna looked down at Sheldor, "We're HERE! Get ready!"

Sheldor gave a very unsettling side grin and a row of jagged fangs appeared in the small opening, his eyes burning black at the thought of battle. He could feel the witch's magic from here and it was delicious. He would soon get his chance to save Penelope and avenge his family and the retrieve his heart and those thoughts made him deliriously hungry for action. The demon inside of him purred as he missed the strange looks that Onar was giving him. Onar's ears pinned to the back of his head and gave a growl and Wolowix shared a worried look with him.

* * *

Lady Fowler stepped from the darkness towards the battered blonde that hung. Her eyes were a soft blue as she traced all the wounds upon her minion. She had thought that the beatings would flare the old Penelope out and she'd retaliate, but instead… she took the beatings as if she deserved them. Is this really the power of love? Is this what the women of this pathetic world LIVE for? Love had gotten THIS particular specimen a one way ticket to watching her family burn… watch as every male she laid with get their throats cut… and now… beaten and tortured. Love… was it really worth all THIS? She wanted to know.

She wanted to cut this fool down and examine her brain, but a voice boomed into the darkness, "My Lady, the Garuda carriage is approaching. Would you like me to send some of the quetzalcoatls out to intercept them? Or would you like me to inform the Skaldjilk Grex to begin firing?"

Lady Fowler's eyes burned red from being interrupted and she watched as the swollen eyes of Penelope opened a little to stare at her. Lady Fowler's eyes burned white before started back pedaling. She never took her eyes off Penelope until her back hit the wall and she blinked and smoked out of the dungeon and reappeared in front of Rakooth. Her eyes burned blue again as she addressed the book, "Yes! And please instruct Dennikim to station himself on the inside of the main entrance. I want to make sure if they make it to the front door then that's pretty much as far as they'll get. Station Althea with Penelope… no one is allowed to take her without my permission."

"Yes My Lady!"

* * *

The trailer was under attack. Rocks flew by the window and headed towards the birds that kept them in the air. Onar growled and got into the zone to where he could telepathically speak to Pryna, **_"Forgive me for being so bold as to barge into your mind, but… we need to land this thing before they shoot us out of the sky… SOME of us don't have wings!"_**

Pryna nodded in agreement and squawked orders up above. Venkatesh flapped his wings and darted out one of the windows, obviously running away. They felt like they were descending, but a violent rumble shook the trailer and had everyone stumbling to their backsides. One of the rocks suddenly impacted through a side and the rock rolled to a stop leaving a gaping, crumbling hole.

Sheldor narrowed his eyes at the rock and they popped open wide, "Oh Drat… SOFT KITTIES!"

The two tailed, sabertooth armadillo cats, known as Soft Kitties, were creatures that were devastatingly unstoppable. They traveled in clowders and could destroy a large village in under an hour. Their shell-like armor were thick concaved bone that covered their entire bodies. When they bowed into a ball, each piece fit like a perfect puzzle and there would never be one iota of an opening. They resembled a bowling ball but were solid and covered in a weird type of fuzz. No one knew how they were given the name Soft Kitty, but it was definitely a humorless joke!

The Soft Kitty popped and landed on its feet and roared loudly. It was roughly 5 inches shorter than Onar and its sabertoothed fangs were half the size of its own front arm. The creature's skin was a deep purple and its eyes were a haunting jade green. It looked from one individual to another until its eyes fell to Pryna. It sprung into action with no warning and rushed towards the Garuda. She couldn't put the bansuri to her mouth in time as it lunged in the air towards her.

She screamed, covering her face. She had missed the daring tackle of the Soft Kitty by the nerkanine at the last minute. Onar rolled around with the beast until he was on top and pinned the creature. It scratched four lines against his muzzle and Onar snarled and quickly used his massive jaws to snap the Soft Kitty's neck. Wolowix waved his hand at the demolished wall and it almost healed itself.

Onar jumped off the dead creature and stood beside the distraught Gaurda, **_"Are… are you alright?"_** As she buried her face into his furry shoulder and nodded yes… the trailer jerked violently as it hit solid ground.

Sheldor stood at the faux door with his left arm almost waving like a snake then it straightened out into a grotesque blade. His eyes burned black and he gave a jagged smile as his voice returned to the deep rasping demonic voice, **"Better get your flute ready, Princess…"** He turned his head towards Pryna and Onar, snarling at her with a little bit of a southern slang, **"This ain't no tea party we're about to go to. There are more of those out there…"** he pointed to the Soft Kitty, **"… and there are creatures that would gladly rape you and eat your flesh at the same time. This here's a war. You want your brother back… you better keep up."**

He snarled his sharpened teeth and turned back around and sliced at the faux door with his left arm. There was a delay in showing the slice marks, but slowly it collapsed and revealed a horde of Skaldjilks with bows and flaming arrows pointed towards them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

* * *

Sheldor stepped out in the midst of a very blood thirsty horde of orcs and their Soft Kitty pets that had bows and flaming arrows pointed right at them. They were guarding the first arc that led to the path leading towards the castle.

Arcs, or Gates, were just another form of protection that the witch had cast for her castle. When you entered into an arc… it was like stepping into a whole separate world. It was useless magic, but effective for slowing an enemy down. All together there were three arcs, each, supposedly, guarded by the three most deadliest creatures of Pasadina. This one was guarded by orcs and Soft Kitties. Sheldor wouldn't have been surprised if no one ever got past just this one gate.

Three of the Skaldjilk were bigger than the bow wielding orcs and they approached him with the female he saw in the mirror giving orders to the orcs that were torturing Penelope… Alicyka. Onar, with Pryna on his back and Wolowix, stepped out and stood beside him but cautiously behind him. Onar couldn't stop his lip from rising at some of the Skaldjilk who snapped their jaws at him. They were clicking and snapping in their weird little language and Onar seemed to be returning it.

The three huge Skaldjilk each carried a different weapon. One, with a human skull and little arm bones as a necklace, had a pair of blood stained katars on each hand. He had an eye completely missing from the inside of his head and bothered not to cover it with a patch. He was the shortest of the three, but the stockiest. One, draped in heavy chains and large demi-gauntlets with spikes on the knuckles, held two very thick and overly curved bladed scimitars in each hand. He was in the middle in height, but his arms were overly muscular. The other was the tallest by far and nearly three inches taller than Sheldor himself, and he had nothing more than his slimy skin and tortoise shell on is back, but an enormous pollaxe sitting on his shoulder. The axe part, itself, was thick with the bottom half of the blade long and curved menacingly.

The long bow stuck straight out past the tall orc's arm then playing with a long piece of grass that hung out of his mouth. Alicyka moved from the crowd to standing only feet away from Sheldor as  
she leered at all of them before setting her darkened brown eyes upon Sheldor's blackened eyes. She gave a very hyena like laugh and spoke in her own language with her teeth clicking and small growls erupting from her throat. Sheldor was not the bit impressed.

Suddenly, Onar's voice blared into his mind, **_"She is saying, 'I hope you aren't giving up. We would rather you at least run… the chase gives us our daily dose of cardio and makes your flesh more taut and makes it easier to skin you.'"_**

Wolowix looked over at Onar with a raised brow, "How the hell are you able to understand them?"

Onar, not taking his eyes off the Skaldjilk, replied, **_"They're speaking the 'Fang Language'. Without telepathy, it is the language that nerkanine's communicate with. Orcs, nerkanines, wendigos, and garms all speak the Fang Language."_**

Sheldor's demon voice cut in, **"You can understand it… then can you speak it?"**

Onar nodded his head and Sheldor spoke again, **"Good… Tell her this: 'You all are going to die today.'"**

Onar, Pryna, and Wolowix all looked at Sheldor with wide eyes.

Wolowix shook his head, "Look, I know you're all 'Badass Demon' right now… but there have got to be over 50 orcs staring at us in the face right now and more than a hundred up on those rocks waiting for the sign to kill us all. Maybe is NOT such a good time to be pissing them off."

The demon Sheldor snarled at Wolowix, flinching as Sheldor turned his head back to the nerk, **"TELL HER!"**

Pryna shook her head, "You are losing more and more of your humanity, Sheldor. You are letting your demon rule over your senses… do you think taking the lives of these orcs will give you the thrill you need?

Demon Sheldor laughed and approached the woman on the nerk's back. He snarled his smile and spoke darkly, **"Listen here, Princess Peacock… there are 193 orcs aiming to kill us before we pass into the arc. We have two more arcs to pass through and there are creatures much more dangerous than these moronic creatures… and you're worried about MY tendencies? The only way you're getting to that castle alive is because of MY demon. Now, Onar, tell this little woman with no regard of sexual regression what I have said… and you…" **He pointed to Wolowix and narrowed his eyes, **"Be ready for their onslaught."**

* * *

Onar relayed the message with his tongue, throat, and fangs giving strange noises. Alicyka's face twisted in amusement and she grabbed her Morningstar scepter. She spoke with a fast and furious tongue and her grip on her weapon tightened dangerously, snarling and lunged at Sheldor. The demon blurred and skipped forward, his arm-blade had swung low and was now resting across his chest. Demon Sheldor slowly stood to his feet and stared cold-blooded intent at the Skaldjilk as Alicyka's Morningstar fell to the ground with a loud ring of metal while her arm and torso below her ribs began to slide off at an angle as she barely let out a whimper of pain before her severed body slid down and over in different directions. There was a moment of shock on both sides until the Skaldjilk's screams of anger for their leader's death rang out all over the rocky wall and on the ground. A slew of flaming arrows launched into the air and curved downwards at them as the three larger orcs came in swinging at Sheldor.

Wolowix quickly moved and dodged the flaming attacks as he swiped his hands at the trailer, turning it to a behemoth rhinoceros. The humongous rhino charged forward and threw its body into the massive rock wall. It pulled back, charging again as Wolowix grabbed some sand in his hands and sprinkled it over his head and created a harden shell around him and deflected the flaming arrows easily. The rhino's second charge had the 100 something orcs collapsing to the ground, crushed under the debris.

Pryna put her bansuri to her lips and played. Reality shifted a bit as high and low notes combined to make a sad melody then a huge humpback whale erupted from the solid ground and swallowed a good number. Onar shook his head in disbelief that by the time that Wolowix's rhino and Pryna's whale were done… there were only the three large orcs left. He trotted over to Wolowix in his shell and reassured him that it was safe. As Wolowix popped out of the rock sphere, he swept his hand and the rhino disintegrated then he looked over at Pryna, "Sorry… I hope you weren't too attached to that thing."

Pryna shook her head to display it held no purpose and dropped her bansuri to her side, looking over at Sheldor standing before the three orcs that were now displaying their weapons and readying themselves to attack. Sheldor's demon lips twitched in a smile as he looked at the three, then spoke back to them, **"Start heading towards the castle... these three are mine."**

Onar hesitated, but soon he bound forward through the arc with Pryna upon his back. Wolowix took a few steps, but stopped and turned to look at the profile of the very long, Cheshire grin of Sheldor's sharpened teeth. Wolowix swallowed deeply, he could see the black ooze almost crawl up his neck and start to engulf the rest of his body. Wolowix turned towards the arc and barely took a single step before he had to jump at the otherworldly roar and a very eerie silence before Wolowix swallowed deeply and pushed through the arc.

* * *

The arc teleported anyone who walked through it, taking them into a land that seemed to be gigantic. They were mere ants underneath a canopy of grass leaves and dandelions; huge pebble like hills, sticks like fallen dogwood trees, and lost children's toys like mysterious wonders of the world. Wolowix spun and looked around at the awe inspiring dimension with a smirk on his face. He caught a glimpse of Onar on top of a hill not too far from where he was with Pryna no longer on his back.

Wolowix jogged up a small hill of red dirt until it got too hard to continue moving at that speed. He moved into a crawl until he finally got to the top. He slowed his legs and his eyes went completely wide as his eyes hit where Onar and Pryna were staring. The arc was an old fashion wooden toy of a caterpillar for a toddler, arching like an upside down U with a butterfly clip for hair clipped in the middle of the caterpillar. It seemed like such a beautiful arc, but it was the treacherousness BEFORE that arc that had the three staring madly.

A man, a human man, stood in the midst of an army of insects. There were hornets, flies, and mosquitoes in the air with ants, praying mantises, beetles, and the all too familiar centipedes and wolf spiders on the ground. This man looked to be in his 60's and wore dark jeans, black boots, black leather jacket, and a white t-shirt underneath. Wolowix groaned as he recognized the man, "That's Lewis Crawley… but he just goes by Crawl now. He is an Entosteuern… a big name for 'Bug Guy'. He can control and summon any kind of insect. As to how he became one of the witch's little drones… I'll chalk it up to his spineless nature."

Onar turned his snout towards Wolowix, **_"How do you know this man?"_**

Wolowix cringed and was about to answer until a huge thump rumbled from behind them and all three spun and looked up at an ordinary field cricket… or a Snowy Tree Cricket… neither could tell the difference. The three were shocked at how huge the cricket was. Suddenly, the cricket raised its wings and rubbed them together to let out a high pitched stridulating and grabbing the attention of all the insects and their master. Crawl looked up and a gleam lights up the lenses of his glasses, giving a smile. With a wave of his dramatically exaggerated hand movements, he spoke to his insects, "Kill them… Kill them all."

There was, suddenly, a very sickening snap and a clear flow of thickened ooze cascading to the ground from the cricket's body, dividing into two halves and fell in different directions. As the cricket's halves tumbled down the hill on either side, Demon Sheldor revealed himself with a sickened smile.

He was nearly consumed by the blackened miasma coming from his arm. The darkness had most of his face entirely covered with rough, fur-like scales that made a crescent shape from his hair line above his right eye, circled and cut down the bridge of his nose, and followed his cheek bones until it fell down to his jaw line. His left eye was full crimson red while the one not covered in the darkness was still blackened out, yet it still smoked and looked to be soon spilling out, covering the rest of his face with the ooze.

A long thin salivated tongue and almost lizard like as it whipped around out of his jagged mouth as a thick, black tail seemed to slither and move on its own accord. He looked positively supernatural and it made the three have a fear not only for them, but for anything that stood in his way.

* * *

Onar's feet felt a tremor of a marching quake and he turned his head from the demon to see an army of Maricopa harvester ants quickly moving to surround him, Wolowix, and Pryna. When Onar looked up to where Sheldor was, he was gone. Onar growled at the highly venomous creatures and snapped his jaws as he spoke telepathically to Pryna, **_"Get in the air and head towards the arc… we'll meet you there!"_**

She had gripped her bansuri to her chest with a determined look, but she didn't question the nerk. She nodded and extended her wings; making the ants close to her flinch and back up in shock. With a strong flap of her deep red and white wings; she was up in the air and just below the zigzags of the winged bugs above.

Onar snapped his jaws in the direction of Wolowix and speaking to him telepathically, **_"Get on my back… we need a direct line to the bug guy… can you make a walled in path through these things?"_**

Wolowix gripped the fur and got on his back, looking around at the almost wet looking features and the small hairs that darted off their red bodies and swallowed, "I can try, but I can't keep it up long… just enough to surround us and when we pass, it'll go down."

Onar bared his teeth and spun around full circle as the ants seemed to be getting closer, **_"That's going to have to do!"_**

Wolowix slapped his hands together in a loud pop, making the ants react to it with a flinch, and he began to utter something under his breath. The land underneath their feet began to quake and rumble with a low bass. The ants began to back up as if anticipating the attack, suddenly, a thick, red clay wall shot up beside Onar on both sides of him and nearly cleared over 10 feet above him and shot out down the hill about 30 feet long towards Crawl. Onar gave a grin and took a few trotting steps before stopping and watching complete chaos unfold in between the opening from the space between the two walls.

Wolowix gasped and spoke with shock, "What the Frakk?"

Onar's eyes narrowed and his ears went back in a sign of not liking what he saw. There was a wall of fire emanating from the blackened palm of Sheldor's right hand while his left was formed into a whip that was wild, long, and thorny. The ants struggled to save their master, but were cut down and burned mercilessly. Demon Sheldor sprinted forward towards the old man, but a praying mantis swatted him and sent him flying and diving into the dirt. That was Onar's queue and he bolted down the center of the wall that the ants were beginning to climb over.

Wolowix held on tightly to the black fur and glanced at the shadow of the flying woman above them. He looked up, momentarily, and saw her keeping low enough from the bugs above and high enough from the bugs below. Her bansuri was tight in her grip as she stared out at the scenery playing out. Wolowix kept his concentration, then, on the walls around them. It was becoming a barrier between them and the creatures trying to attack them. The wolf spiders leapt on top of the two walls, but Onar's speed didn't allow them anytime to strike down.

It wasn't until Pryna's scream filled their ears from behind them that stopped them dead in their tracks, merely yards away from the bug man. Onar slammed on his brakes and spun as Wolowix's concentration broke and the walls fell. A wolf spider had sprung and pounced on Pryna; bringing her to the ground where a few other spiders began to pile on top of her. Onar gave out a very animalistic snap of his jaws and a growl before he sprinted full speed towards the spider gang. Before they could get within a few feet, Onar slid to a stop as a flurry of feathers whipped and huge deep red and white wings exploded into a thrust and the spiders flew everywhere

In the place where Pryna had been pinned was now a huge Roc swirling with a red electric energy that soon zapped into the bird's body, sending a majestic call that made the fearless bugs pause. Pryna had taken her true Garuda form. Her bindi was the source of the red energy and was still surging as the Roc flapped her enormous wingspan. The bird was 55 meters high with the longest wing span at a total of 200 yards long from the tip of the longest feather to the other and the second wing span right below that was only 90 feet long from tip to tip. The bird had maroon dots under its eyes as the rest of its back looked to be dyed in dark red while the rest of its body was a pristine white. The beak was a deep vermillion but the tip was black. The tail was mostly the deep red, but the tips were white. The Garuda stomped down on some of the bugs before taking a run and taking flight.

The seeds of the bloomed dandelions took to the air and tried their best to follow the large bird, but soon just took to the breeze. The bird did a swirl around and took out as many flying insects as it could until it swooped down and snagged Onar with Wolowix on his back right out of danger.

* * *

Sheldor was floating on the surface of a pool of nothingness. His thoughts were drowning, but he struggled to stay afloat. He just stared up at the small dot of light that seemed so far away from where he was. He was having a hard time remembering why he was here or even what his name was as the cool, suffocating mass started to swallow him whole. Before the ooze could take him over completely, he could hear a familiar voice calling to him a pulsing vibration that quivered the pool around him. His one eye that had yet to be engulfed shot open and looked up at Chrsnyght just simply standing on top of the blackened water, **"I never took you for the quittin' type, there, handsome."**

Sheldor's lonely blue eye tried to focus on the demon above and he tried to move his body back up, but the blackened mass had become sticky and clingy.

Chrsnyght sighed loudly, crouching down to talk to the solitary eye, **"I usually don't get involved with the demon/human struggle, but… I need you to be in your own when you face the witch so we can get OUR revenge… so…"** The demon reached into the gelatin darkness and gripped the front of Sheldor's Minotaur vest and yanked him out of the ooze to stand beside her. He struggled to get his air as she kept a tight grip on his shirt. When he finally filled his lungs with a perfect amount of air, he swatted the demon's hands off him.

She smiled, **"You are a very smart man, Sheldor and that's a compliment coming from the mouth of a demon… but you and your brain will NEVER comprehend the demonic proclivity of any one demon. It is incomprehensible to try and elucidate a demon. The more you try… the deeper you'll sink. Look down, Sheldor… that… that is the emotions that you've pushed and pushed and PUSHED into the back of your mind until it rotted and decayed into this pool of Destruction."**

Sheldor looked down at the sludge trying to crawl up his leg and managed to pull it out with a quick jerk of his leg. Chrsnyght couldn't stop the grin on her face as Sheldor looked at her with an unknown confusion. She snorted through her nose, knowing what it was that was baffling him, **"The demon you saw in the Garuda's illusion was in fact YOUR demon. Every human on this plain of existence has their own demons deep inside, but it's because of your current situation of being a man from a family of powerful magic AND being heartless that has you on the verge of becoming a true demon. I guess now you know where demons come from."**

She smiled, but it wasn't shared by the witch hunter. She shook her head and looked up at the light as she kept talking, **"The Chimera was a symbol of death and destruction. The three headed monster… a lion, a goat, and a snake… they embody Life, Love, and Death… the three most unpredictable things on this plain of vitality. Your science… your magic… your mind… they all fail under these three. That failure… it's your demon. You are the Chimera… the demon of Destruction. If you let this thing take you over… you WILL be strong enough to destroy the witch… but you'll have no control over what happens after that. Is revenge really worth losing who you are? Think about that… Think."**

Before Sheldor had a chance to speak; Chrsnyght was gone and he was standing all alone, under the small light, and on top of the coagulating crepuscular mass and shut his eyes tight. The demon was confusing him, he couldn't tell which side she was on… was she wanting him to become a demon, or was she wanting him to BE himself? He tried to rack his mind through it, but the more he thought… the angrier he got. The thought of the witch killing his family then bringing them back to life, just to attack HIM… turning Wolowix into a watch after making him witness his wife's death… Onar walking up to find his human girl with a hole through her chest and dead on the ground… Penelope forced to watch her family burn to death then being beaten senselessly while creatures laugh at her pain… it was enough… it was enough for the collocating darkness to swallow him whole and suck him down underneath its demented surface.

* * *

Something flashed and the huge praying mantis was cut into shreds and sections as its body fell, rolling across the large grass leaves and red clay. Onar and Wolowix sat down by the arc as Pryna's red energy flew around her, placing her back into angelic form as they stared back at the falling tower of the dead insect. Pryna gripped her bansuri that she conjured from the red energy out of thin air and she looked terrified, Onar could feel his fur tingling and he understood her fear. Wolowix hopped off Onar and took a few steps forward to see the black blur slam into the Entosteuern and he swallowed feeling the huge surge of power flowing from the black mass before the bug man.

Demon Sheldor's hand slammed into the face of Crawl, the speed and power that emerged caused a loud crack and a ripple of momentum of his draft. It flung all the little insects away leaving only the two in the center of the collision. Crawl's eye was visible at the bend between the index and thumb of Demon Sheldor's hand. Crawl's glasses shattered, falling off the man's face as his visible eye went wide in practical fear.

The last little bit of Sheldor's humanity was swallowed up and twisted into a curvy, diabolical grin. Two bulges bubbled on top of his head and two pairs of bronzed horns rose up and ripped through the darkened bulbs and curved wide to loop behind his head a stop parallel to his jaw line. His eyes were beaming a fire engine red and began to drain a deep crimson from the far corners of his eyes. His nose flattened out, expanding, while his mouth got bigger and wider to correlate with his new grin. His jagged shark-like teeth thicken in his mouth and elongate as his tongue grew long, thinning out at the three foot long tip. His blackened body formed all over until he is the slender, tall, lion headed, goat horned, clove footed, snake tailed demon from his illusion. His hand was brought upon the Entosteuern's face as his newly rough skin rubbed against the man's flesh.

A wicked snap rang out as Demon Sheldor's fingers curled into the man's skull, lifting the man's limp body before him. The satanic grin on the Chimera's face was the last thing that Crawl saw before Demon Sheldor pulverized the man's head in his hand. The body fell like the severed stringed marionette and Demon Sheldor let out a harrowing scream and the insects scattered as if running for their lives.

Wolowix stared at the horrific killing of Crawl as Pryna yelped and turned away, tears in her eyes. Onar walked to her and nudged her gently with his snout. She wrapped herself around it and he could sense her fear.

There was a slightly low humming sound coming from the arc and the center of it rippled into water. They stared at it for a few seconds before a thunderous clap sung out right behind them. All three turned to see the Chimera demon standing right in front of the arc's portal… it just stood and stared.

Wolowix moved slowly till he could see the monster's face as he took in a deep breath, "Sh… Sheldor… are you… you still in there?" No reply.

He swallowed deeply and took a step forward, "Sheldor… hey, buddy… you still with us?" No reply again. Not even a single movement other than the snake tail. Wolowix knew this idea was stupid, but he was convinced that his friend was still in there somewhere. He took one more step closer at the looming Chimera and reached his hand out. He was so content on watching his hand as it inched closer and closer the roughened, black, furry-scaled skin of the demon. Before his finger touched, Sheldor's lion-padded hand snatched his wrist and pulled him up until Wolowix's face was even with his.

The demon's face was not curved with the terror that it did with Crawl, but it had content pulsing on his face. There was a demonic growl emanating from his throat as those fire engine eyes bore deep into his gray-blue eyes. Suddenly, he extended his arm, dropping Wolowix to his side as he spoke in a very deep voice still staring towards the watery portal.

"**If any of you stand in my way… I will not hesitate to cut you open and eat your innards. THAT will be your last warning."**

With that, the demon leapt into the portal, leaving a flow of wrinkles spreading throughout the arc.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

Wolowix stepped to square up to the watery portal as he swallowed, "He's lost all his humanity. He's no longer Sheldor… he's the Chimera… a damn DEMON. How are we supposed to save Penelope when we have to save the HERO first?"

Onar growled then snorted as his telepathy joined the two close to him, **_"He has no heart… he has no filter for the demon's magic that courses through his veins. He knew the dangers… we all knew the dangers, but the witch needs to be stopped before any more suffer under her rein. If a crazy, demonic Sheldor can achieve that… then I say it's well worth it."_**

Pryna shook her head, "That's not true… he could very well turn against us… then what? We must get into the castle… my brother can show us where his heart lies."

Wolowix didn't turn around as he stared at the reflective water of the portal, "If he knew where Sheldor's heart was… the witch would have it by now." He reached out and touched the reflection of his own hand, narrowing his eyes, "Besides… what will we do if Demon Sheldor doesn't WANT it back?"

Before the two behind him could answer, he slipped into the portal with the other two behind him a few moments later.

* * *

The three were dropped into a vast, shallow lagoon whose surface was plagued with vines and reeds. The water was too murky to see anything within it even though the water was only knee high. Wolowix looked around in every direction but saw nothing but a horizon of leveled water. He swallowed and bowed his head and mumbled. He rose his hands in the air before him and a ledge humped out of the water underneath the three's feet. Onar sniffed the air and couldn't find a trace of scent from either Sheldor OR anything else.

He shook his head and walked to stand beside Pryna and Wolowix and spoke to them with telepathy, **_"There is nothing here. Has Sheldor destroyed everything?"_**

Wolowix was staring out the horizon while Pryna looked straight up. Her eyes bulged out in shock as she patted at Onar's fur until she got to his fluffy ear then tugging it to get his attention. The nerk whimpered a little at the pressure then looked up and his ears went to the side, **_"Ummm… Wolowix… you might want to take a look above."_**

Wolowix turned to the two staring straight up with one brow down, "Wh… y…Whoa." He stared up and his jaw loosened at the site of a jagged rock upon a beach that was surrounded by water right above them with white pristine sand. It was as if they were looking out of an airplane window at the little island. Wolowix spun until his body was facing the other two and he spoke, "Let's say that jumping is probably off the table. I don't want my blood to ruin the pretty white sand."

Pryna smiled, "A wizard with no faith in magic… you've been with the witch hunter far too long." She stretched her wings and looked to her two companions, "I'll go first… if you plummet to the ground I'll swoop in and save you. Does that make you feel better?"

Wolowix smiled, "Actually… yeah it does."

She gave a wink and the two men stepped back to give her wings space. She squatted down and, with all her might in her hamstrings and wingspan; she launched herself into the air and towards the island below… or is it above? The boys watched as she turned into a blur of speed and she was merely a 'M' down by the beach's sand. The two looked at each other and swallowed.

Wolowix spoke, "Well, buddy, if we're going to die… I want you to know… though you're the smallest nerkanine I've ever seen; you're the damn bravest of them."

Onar looked over at the innovagygr and their eyes met. Onar opened his jaws while talking to him with his telepathy, **_"Wolowix… there is no one else I would want to plummet to my death with than you. Hop on my back… if all else fails, I'll hit the ground first."_**

The two men shared a 'bro moment' as Wolowix hopped on Onar's back and mumbled. The ground underneath launched them up towards the island, there was a huge rush as if they were falling, and then Onar was flailing in the air for two seconds then his stomach hit the sand in a soft fall. Onar whimpered in confusion as he stood up with Wolowix still on his back. They looked up at the sky of blues and greens before just laughing. Wolowix patted Onar's fur and sung out, "MAN I love magic!"

* * *

There was a loud thunder above and a few rocks fell from the tall, sharpened rock structure that seemed to guard the beach from the jungle behind it. The two jerked their heads up to see a silhouette of a creature push off the tip of the structure with a cloud of dust and a little rock debris trailing after it. The shadow dove down in a weird flash and there was a crashing noise all around as if metal was colliding with metal. Before either of them could question, Pryna swooped from the jungle oasis in a fast roll to the side until she straightened out and flapped to a brisk landing.

She jogged to them with a fear upon her face, "There might be a slight problem in achieving access to the last arc."

Wolowix looked down at her with a raised brow, "Such as?"

There was a horrid shriek echoing from beyond the tree line that made all three look in that general direction. Pryna gripped her bansuri as her accent rang out, "Such as a much more resourceful demon being the guardian of the arc."

Wolowix and Onar snapped their eyes back to her as she slowly turned her head back, "His name is Dennikim and that was all I got before Sheldor started to attack without a plan or any insurmountable thought. He blindly lashed out and Dennikim calmly countered his moves."

Onar gave a snort as his thoughts reached the Garuda, **_"How do you know this Dennikim is a demon?"_**

Pryna's grip on her bansuri was tighter at the question, "Because his kind… EAT our kind, Dennikim is a Naga, or Snake-Shifter, and is an Uttari Koriya prodigy who was recruited by Kncaltek, the Rhumba Nesters, to become the next Hydra recipient… the demon of Regeneration. He is only 15, but he is much more powerful than Sheldor. If he kills your friend… we will most certainly perish."

Onar growled, **_"If we TRY and help Sheldor… Sheldor will kill US. We can't win no matter which side we choose."_**

Wolowix shook his head, "I'm not dying until I see that witch gritting in agony… COME ON! Let's go and at least say hi."

Onar took a few steps and looked over at Pryna, she took off running with her wings flapping the sand in a torrent of power and soon she was in the air. Wolowix gripped the fur of the nerk's back and Onar took off running towards the jungle.

* * *

The arc was mass of vines twisted and waved into a perfect bridge; there were white and purple flowers adorning it as well as a long emerald boa wrapped around it. Sheldor's Bazinga form was panting madly at the 15 year old Koriyan boy who stood right in the center of it with his arms folded across his chest and a cocky grin on his lips. Demon Sheldor threw everything at the brat, but nothing seemed to be strong enough to get through. The Chimera was becoming impatient and a gallant roar echoed through the island.

Dennikim shook his head, "You are new to this whole demon thing aren't you? I can tell, you are far too arrogant to be anything BUT an amateur."

Demon Sheldor snarled, his arms molding and stretching; one elongated to a scythe blade on the end of a chain and flung around to tie Dennikim up and the other arm shifted to a big bladed axe and swung down into Dennikim's shoulder. The Koriyan boy screamed and then gritted his teeth, his pupils expanded to cover the entire eye until a yellowish-green orb glowed and formed as his eye. A skinny slit formed in the middle and he smiled with a thick fork tongue darting out and slipping back in. Suddenly, Demon Sheldor's formed arm was ripped to shreds, his body went flying backwards; the momentum of the force sent him through rows of trees until his body finally angled down to where he finally hit the jungle's floor with a few bounces.

Dennikim's laugh echoed through the trees as Wolowix and Onar moved to where the demon finally rested. Wolowix shuddered at the path made by the force of power that was used to chuck Sheldor through that thicket of trees. Onar carefully circled the downed demon then noticed that the black mass that surrounded his body was now smoking off and revealing pale skin. Wolowix hopped off Onar and ran to the face-down, butt-naked witch hunter and knelt down. He placed two fingers on his neck and shot a look up at Onar, "He doesn't have a pulse."

* * *

Onar's ears went down as Wolowix stood up and bowed his head. He muttered a prayer as Onar let out a howl for his fallen comrade. Wolowix sniffed a bit as they had a moment of silence before Sheldor let out a huge groan and the dirt around his mouth shot out like a cloud. The two men watched in horror as their friend pushed himself off the jungle floor and finally stood completely nude. The two averted their gaze as Wolowix shouted, "You… You were DEAD… You didn't even have a pulse!"

Sheldor, almost completely ignoring the Wolowix, looked down and raised his hands up to look himself over, "Why am I naked?"

Onar tilted his head as Wolowix snorted, "Really? THAT'S your question… not, 'Why am I in a jungle' or 'Why do I not have a pulse' or even better 'Why have I been a demon and trying to kill all my friends'…"

Sheldor looked over at them and they both jumped at the deep symbol still burnt upon his left cheek and his blue eyes, "Of course I wouldn't have a pulse… hard to have one when you have no heart, wouldn't you agree?"

Wolowix slapped his forehead, "Totally forgot about that."

Sheldor turned his head back at the powerful aura towards the path that was cleared by his body being launched. He narrowed his darkened blue eyes and swallowed, "You're a man who does not possess a doctorate... It's quite understandable. On another note, where are we?"

Onar sniffed and spoke with his telepathy, **_"We are in the second realm headed to the third arc that will lead us to the witch's castle. Dennikim, the Hydra demon of Regeneration, is the final guardian and he just pretty much threw you in here with a lot of force."_**

The sounds of wings flapping made them all look up just as Pryna glided down and landed behind them. She jogged up with her eyes on Onar then looked over at a very bare Sheldor, gasping as she averts her gaze, "You're back? What happened?"

Wolowix began to explain, but Sheldor cut in, "Chrsnyght… I wish to speak with you."

The three looked at him like he was crazy until a static ball of red and black the size of a marble seeped out of his pupil then slowly unraveled into the form of the horse footed, long eared demon form but more translucent. She smiled at the three shocked faces then looked over at the very naked man before her, **"Now, when you said you wanted to talk to me… did you want the top or bottom because… meeeOW."**

Wolowix, despite confused by the incident, gave a laugh and Chrsnyght looked over at him and gave him a wink. She let out a sigh and looked into his blue, not so amused, eyes, **"Guess it's just business, then? What can I do for you my heartless compadre'?" **She flicked her wrist and Sheldor had a long black rectangle covering his front and back.

Sheldor looked down and rolled his eyes as Wolowix stepped forward, "Ok… I have a question… WHAT are you?"

She kicked off the ground and her hooves made a crushing noise and sat cross legged and smiled at the three confused people, **"I am a half demon… the demon of Chaos… someone who wants to rip the face off of the Fowler daughter… you can consider me a friend."**

Onar with his ears back and he shot his voice at her, **_"How are we supposed to believe you are a friend if you're the one who turned him into that… Chimera thing? You believe that just because you want to kill the witch that we are just going to accept you as a 'Good Guy'."_**

Chrsnyght slowly dropped to the ground with her blackened eyes and white pupil slit dangerously, **"I didn't turn him into anything. HE'S the one who allowed the demon to overtake him. But… can't really blame ol' Moonpie… Demons are a BITCH to fight off when you don't have your heart to sort them out. I'm just an Addendum or a Dodatek… I am just an addition… bound to him until his promise to me is fulfilled. Till then, I'm just a whisper in the back of his head that he keeps ignoring. AND… who the hell wants to be a GOOD GUY anyways… too much work and not enough fun! I mean... look at all you... all frowns and pouty faces. Being good is overrated."**

Pryna looked back towards where Dennikim was still guarding the arc and looked back, "Dodatek's have no power until they are released from their bondage. Even if she wanted to possess him… she couldn't but they still merge. Her essence is HIS essence. Manifesting and providing insight is all she can really do and most Dodateks don't even do THAT. I do have a question, though… why is he no longer possessed by the demon?"

Chrsnyght gave a big smile, **"That's a great question bird face… It's because Sheldor's demon is maxed out. It was challenged and defeated so… it's… how would you say… 'licking its wounds'. It'll be back… It'll keep coming back stronger and more dominant than before."**

* * *

They all looked at Sheldor and he swallowed deeply, he was afraid… as he listened… he had a fear, a fear that he would kill the witch, but then find that it was too late to become human again… he'd kill his friends… he'd kill Penelope. He shut his eyes tight trying to burn the images of her screaming and being ripped apart by HIS hands. His thoughts, then, were turned into a black fog misting around him. He looked around and everything was going dark. A huge shadow was blocked out by the black smoke, but small flashes of lightning revealed a gargantuan lion figure with horns and a huge tail with hood at the end of it. Sheldor swallowed and stepped back… the eyes were burning blue and looked down at him then straightened proudly and let out a thundering roar.

Sheldor snapped out of his thoughts with his own course and took a few steps forward, "Friends… I… I want to apologize… I want to say that… whatever happens… whatever may arise from this… I am so very sorry. I… I'm just not… strong enough."

Chrsnyght frowned as she faded away to nothing leaving the other three staring at Sheldor's back. They couldn't see his pupils expanding until it covered his entire eye then leeching out and webbing all over his body, he bent over as if he were in pain. Onar's ears shot straight up in the air and he began to growl low. Pryna and Wolowix looked back at him and saw every black hair on the nerk's body began to quill and stand on end, Pryna leaned in, "What is it? What's happening?"

Onar's eyes lit up and he looked to both her and Wolowix, **_"Wolowix… get on my back… Pryna… get in the air! NOW!"_** As his mind screamed, both jumped and did as they were told. As soon as Wolowix got on his back, Onar took off running towards the arc on the long path that was cleared. Wolowix looked back and his eyes shot wide open, "Holy SHIT! What is that?"

Where Sheldor had been standing was an ever expanding globe of quivering blackened flesh that started to drain into the ground. The ominous mass crept along the ground and enveloped everything in its hungry caress. Wolowix watched the huge sphere begin to take shape and saw two ice cold eyes begin to shine and form. He took his eyes off it to see that the trees covered in the mass were being melted down underneath the shady blanket and he spun around and screamed in the nerk's ear, "RUN FASTER! FASTER!"

With a side glance of the crepuscular landscape being swallowed down, Onar obliged and turned on his speed to full max. Wolowix looked back at the huge creature he could yet distinguish for a brief second before looking down at the noxious haze nipping at the nerk's paws. He shifted and gripped the nerk's fur tightly, "Onar… it's gaining… O… ONAR!"

Wolowix screamed as Onar kept running faster as they cleared the tree line. The mass formed a giant wave and began to crash down upon, but a scream from the sky and talons ensnaring the nerk took them both off the ground and into the sky in the capable grip of Pryna's Garuda form. She circled the air as far as she could, hovering in one spot to see the entire island covered in complete blackness. The only things not covered were a small dot where Dennikim stood and the arc itself. Everything else was engulfed.

* * *

After the initial shock of NOT being dead, Onar and Wolowix looked out to where their friend had given his apology. There, standing as tall as a mountain was an enormous red lion whose long canines pointed down from its cheeks. Its vibrissae were stark white and flexed in the air. There was a white circular smudge on its chest with a yellow lightning bolt shape dividing the smudge. It had two pairs of horns where one pair stuck straight up and curved backwards a little and the other wrapped around its pointy red ears and looped wide and downwards twice. The cat's body looked almost shiny as if it were painted with a glossy sheen. The back of the lion's legs began to go a deep slate gray, rhe tail was thick and swayed behind the cat. The tail soon formed into a very large and boding hooded cobra. It opened its mouth and revealed tiny, needle like fangs oozing with venom. It closed its mouth and darted its pink tongue as it danced in a smooth lean.

As Pryna flapped her wings hard and slow to staying adrift, Wolowix felt a powerful surge in the opposite direction of the Chimera… he looked down and swallowed hard.

Dennikim's body molded and shifted into a monstrous three headed snake. The middle head was the biggest but looked identical to the other three. The scales were colorful and bright, the three heads were a bright orange while the top of the body was a smooth black. The sides of the snake were a cerulean blue and seemed to seep into the underbelly of the snake; the tip of its tail was the same color as the heads and looked almost razor sharp.

The three heads seemed to stay in an alert form as they were only a few feet shorter than the towering Chimera. A pale blue tongue zipped out of the middle snake's lips as it swatted away the obliterating fungus. The Hydra's demonic voice hissed in a laugh that rang out loudly, **_"You're finally taking thisss ssseriousss. Good… I wasss hoping I'd get to kill you in your demon form. Ssso… Sheldor… let'sss ssse what you got!"_**

The Chimera moved to be only a few yards from the Hyrda, the Chimera's whiskers tensed and flexed as the cobra behind it rippled in place. The Chimera snorted and clicked in its throat as it stared at the Hydra with its piercing blue eyes. It slammed its paws into the blackened earth and it let out an electrifying roar that Wolowix could feel sparking in his chest and the three in the sky let out a dismaying breath as two demons issued war against one another.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

Penelope's consciousness came back to reality as the feeling of warm silk brushed against her painful wounds upon her face. She could hear a small chant and the pain upon her face dissipating the more the wet cloth glided upon her flesh. She moaned a little as she opened her swollen eyes as wide as she could. She watched as a black woman with her hair in small twists that almost resembled little snakes wrung out a small, wool rag and chanted over it. The woman turned back and let out a big sigh then spoke with a slight Haitian accent, "Oh, so you awake now?"

Penelope pushed her upper body up off the dungeon floor with her arms until she was able to lean forward. She groaned in pain. Her whole body ached. She turned her head slightly towards the woman and smiled, "I'm sorry Althea. Did I worry you?"

The black woman shook her head like a disapproving mother and she wiped Penelope's face with a rough stroke, "You know damn well I worry about you… ALL THE TIME! You need to stop provoking them monsters… you are FAR too pretty for your face to be pounded like that. Lucky for you, I am a strong Mambo of Rahda Loa… Loko answered my song to him and he has agreed to heal those wounds afflicted. He likes you… for some reason… he likes your spirit."

As the wool rag falls off Penelope's face, it leaves her face healed and unscarred. She smiled and bowed her head, "Please give my regards to the great Loko!"

Althea grinned and turned back to the bucket of water, "He doesn't need your regards, an lo cheve… He holds you in regards whether you care or not. Now… Get up off that floor before you catch something."

Penelope smiled sadly in thanks as Althea turned to grab her bucket. This woman had been a mother to her since she was taken from her own family. She was kind, but her voice had rude tendencies. Penelope was very fond of her and when she had told her story to her… it only made her like Althea more.

* * *

Althea was a Voudo priestess known as a Mambo. During the reign of Serenika, the Moon Witch and Lordornia and Leslitico's mother, there was a tribe called Kabyefon. This was Althea's family… and they were full of Mambo and Houngan (priests). Althea's mother was a Juu Mambo which was the highest form of Loa summoning a person can get. No matter who she called, they came with no hesitation. She was feared… throughout Pasadenia… and for good reason… she had managed to kill **almost** all the witches of the land with the exception of the Fowler witches, Serenika and her daughters. The night that Althea's mother passed down the Asson, the sacred rattle of the Loa Summoners of the Kabyefon tribe, to Althea was the night that the tribe stormed the witch's castle, which was fairly easy for the arcs had yet to be created. Althea's mother and herself trapped Serenika within a Majani doll then burned her in her own fireplace. Leslitico and Lordornia escaped, but both swore revenge upon the Kabyefon tribe. It was 20 years later that Lordornia and her dragon sister personally slaughtered the Kabyefon tribe. Althea was spared not because she was now the tribe's Juu Mambo, but because she had a pure heart and Lordornia needed one to bring her daughter to life. Lordornia learned that moment that Althea: Voudo Mambo… would not be going down without a fight. Althea placed a Pembe curse upon Amelia which made the girl's skin like fragile ivory. Althea called upon the Loa of her slaughtered people and placed an impenetrable barrier upon her heart. She kept her heart, but Lordornia didn't like losing. She placed a curse on her of immortality and bound her to her daughter through a powerful blood spell. It was fate of agonizing proportions. To live forever and to never see her mother on the otherside… that was the cruelest fate of all.

Althea raised Amelia. Taught her and tried to make sure she never became anything like her mother. The Pembe curse was strong and nothing could undo it… not even magic, itself, could unravel a Voudo curse. Despite that, Althea began to teach Amelia the Nanchons of Loa. She wanted her to focus on the nanchons of Radha who were generally the older, beneficent spirits of knowledge, time, and healing to name a few, but Amelia was obsessed with the Ghede. The Ghede were the spirits of the dead. They had no fear for they had already lived and died. They were rude, sexual, disgusting, but fun and their power and persuasion had ensnared Amelia, but, it was, in fact, Amelia who ensnared THEM. Her power was unfathomable and the Loa fed off that. Althea knew that there would be no saving the girl… that she would be consumed by greed and power.

It was then that Penelope was brought to the new and improved castle. The Loa spirits watched through Althea's eyes as the girl was dragged by her leg into the dreary castle by one of the Skaldjilk. The little blonde was limp and conscious, but she had lost all her fight. She had watched her family burn and she believed she had nothing to fight for. Because of that… it was easy ripping her heart out. Althea closed her eyes as her body hit the floor, lifeless. Lordornia waved her hand and granted the body to the Skaldjilk, but it was Amelia who pleaded for her mother to spare her. Lordornia was shocked by her daughter's plea and granted her daughter the blonde's body.

Amelia asked Althea to assist her. Amelia had been cavorting with the Ghede and believed she was capable of performing an 'Ngoma ya Wafu' (Dance of the Dead) enchantment which was a very complicated Voudo ritual. Its purpose was to give life to a lifeless body. It was a type of black magic mixed with the spiritual guidance of the Ghede. Althea had never performs this ritual, but Amelia assured her that all she needed her for was to awaken the spirits with her Asson. It was amazing to watch Amelia perform the Ngoma ya Wafu… she was meticulous and poised. It was then that Althea knew that if this witch wanted something bad enough… nothing would stand in her way. Yet it was the killing of Vaxt, the demon of Time, that truly made Althea fear Amelia. Using Loa spirits to kill a creature that could control time and space was enough to know that Amelia was becoming far too unstable to be around. She used the demon's bones to not only enhance her power, but to stop the Pembe curse upon her face as long as it was upon her skin.

But Amelia wasn't the only one becoming too dangerous; Lordornia was becoming bloodthirsty and arrogant. She killed, not because of necessity for her daughter's survival, but just because she could. She used the Skaldjilk and recruited creatures of the dark. She ripped the hearts of innocent people and left them for their loved ones to clean up. Amelia enslaved those her mother had slaughtered with her necromancy. They had become a menace upon the land, and when evil rises that high… a hero would be sure to meet that challenge. But it wasn't Sheldor who challenged them… it was, in fact, another witch. Melinda Maward Cooper, the White Witch of Galstire. Grandmother to Sheldor Cooper. Althea, unbeknownst to her 'enslavers' had become quite good friends with the local legend. Althea and Melinda spoke about family and friends and loved ones they had lost. Althea respected Melinda and only prayed to the Vodou spirits that SHE was the witch that enslaved her instead of the heartless duo.

* * *

Melinda was a powerful old witch but she took a different road than most. The road of love. She fell in love with a simple human male and they had a beautiful daughter. Melinda, or 'MeMaw' as everyone knew her as, tried to teach her daughter magic, but, sadly, Mary got hurt badly trying to do a spell and she swore to never do magic again. Many years later, Mary had a son and within the next year, had twins… MeMaw loved her grandkids, but Sheldor was different. He had thirst for knowledge, but Mary had long married a religious, farmer who liked his liquor more than his crops and banned magic from the house. Still, MeMaw used Sheldor's love of helping her cook to show him a few spells here and there. Lighting the fire in the stove was the first one. Sheldor was careful and precise and MeMaw couldn't have had a better student. She saw something in him that not a lot of people had… a true Pure Heart.

As Sheldor turned about 8, Lordornia sent her armies of ogres and orcs to decimate the town not knowing that a powerful witch resided there. MeMaw waved her hand in front of her as if wiping a glass free of condensation and every last orc and ogre was reverted to a bubble and each began to rise then started popping until there was no one left.

The Blood Witch would send armies and MeMaw would obliterate them. Leslitico sent waves of summoned dragons and MeMaw would turn them into lizards to let their chickens peck at them. This woman… this fantastic witch… had angered the sisters. They, with the help of Althea she sadly thought, came up with a plan. As they came up with a plan, MeMaw had finally finished with her magic proofed coat for Sheldor and matching hat. That was when the witches struck. They didn't attack the village or even send in one single creature… they slipped into the room of the 11 year old Sheldor possessed him with a Petwo Loa spirit by the name of Met Kalfu… the Loa of crossroads and the grandmaster of charms, spells, and complete destruction. It was, in fact, Sheldor who slaughtered his family. To truly make their revenge complete… they wiped his memory of everything and made him burn his home to the ground.

Althea had stared down at the boy's smudged and unknowing sleeping face with a sadness and unbound Met Kalfu from his soul. She looked over at the charred remains of the home and the barn and shut her eyes tight as she muttered a song for a safe journey to the other side. As she did, she felt a surge of energy and she opened her eyes and saw a bright blue light that shot up into the smoky sky. She moved through the ashen debris and dodged the scaled and distorted bodies of the Coopers until she stood upon the floorboard where the blue light dimmed and sunk back underneath the patterned floor.

Althea bent down and opened the loosened boards. She reached in and took out a box. She felt the power it emitted and dared not try to open it. She looked back at the charred remains of her friend and took in a deep breath. She would honor her friend by passing on this possession to the poor child who had no idea what he had done. Althea found a piece of paper less charred than the others and wrote 'From MeMaw' on it and placed it upon the box. She muttered a safe song over the boy but something made her pause. The boy was glowing the same blue that had caught her attention for the box. She smiled and knew that Melinda had placed a Prostasia spell on the boy. Althea had left the scene and shortly after, Penelope was taken. Sheldor would never be alone in his struggle… his MeMaw made sure of that.

* * *

Penelope cringed and hissed as Althea helped remove all her tattered, black clothing. Althea hummed as she did her job of finding more clothes for the drone and making sure she was watched over for the witch. She told Penelope to sit on the stool she brought to the center of Penelope's 'room' that was covered with jinxes and curses. Penelope did so. Althea noted all the scars on the blonde woman's body and shook her head. She brushed her hair over the girl's shoulder to get it off her back and she wringed out the wool rag in her bucket.

As she wiped her cold rag on Penelope's wounds she heard her sigh, "Althea… have… have you ever been in love?"

Althea smiled as she dipped the rag in the bucket. She KNEW something was different about the girl. Althea gently rubbed the rag against a few whip marks and they began to heal as she smiled, "So that's why you've had so much fight in you… you got yourself a man. Do tell, an lo cheve."

Penelope shook her head, "He… he was never mine… and probably never will be." Her head bowed down and tears fell down her cheeks.

Althea rubbed the wool on Penelope's arms and she looked at the girl with pity as her Haitian accent cut through, "Oh an lo cheve, do not cry. Love never leaves us. It is etched into the threads of our lives that connects us to the world. It even follows us past the stars." She smiled at the blonde woman trying to give her comfort.

Althea sighed, "I will tell you that I was not allowed to fall in love. As a Mambo, I had to be dedicated to the Voudo religion. I had to be alert and ready for anything that came our way. We were soldiers against the evils of our world. Hard to fall in love when you're always ready for a war."

Penelope bowed her head, "I… I was afraid to give my heart to him. I was afraid that if I took him and we expressed our love together that I'd open my eyes and… and he'd be dead. Althea, I… I wanted him more than anything, but… I… I let my fear ruin any chance I would've had with him."

Althea paused at the bucket and stared at her faint reflection in the water and pursed her lips, "What's the point of love if we aren't willing to take chances. That's all that falling in love is, an lo cheve. It is us giving into our fears and hoping that the other person will love us for all our flaws just as we learn to love theirs. I don't like you speaking as if you'll never have a chance with this man, Penelope. You must never give up, an lo cheve." She rubs the last remaining wound on her body before her tanned skin was all healed up.

* * *

Penelope shook her head very sadly. Althea looked down at the young girl she had practically taken under her wing when she got here. She had no sense of magic like Amelia, but she did have a fighting spirit. Instead of trying to teach her the ways of the Loa, Althea had taught Penelope the ways of the warrior. Agility was easy for the petite blonde, but strength was NOT one of her 'strong' suits. Yet, with lots of random bouts of training against willing Loa spirits… strength became one of her attributes. She hated seeing the woman come of age. She was forced to brand the poor child with an infertility curse because Lordornia and Amelia were going to use her to lure men into her bed and they had no need for a pregnant slave. It was something that Althea hated doing more than anything… taking a woman's ability to bear a child, but she tried to see it as her saving the girl from MORE heartache. She was already traumatized by being in the middle of sexual intercourse with a man… then, having them killed and drained of blood right in front of her. It took its toll on the blonde, but soon… the emotional connection she had with men, in general, had vanished… until now. This man she spoke of had ensnared her like a virus. She watched the blonde move and sit beside the dress she placed on the bed for her.

Penelope looked up from the bed at Althea with her eyes full of tears, "I have to learn to let him go. I… I HAVE to let go. Althea… I… I lost him. I watched him die… because of ME. I betrayed him. I teleported him to Galehus… I GAVE him to Lady Fowler and she stole his heart… He… he's dead." She threw her hands up to cover her face as she sobbed uncontrollably into her hands. She didn't even notice the sound of the wooden bucket hitting the floor and the water drenching the stone underneath behind her.

The black woman didn't move or speak… she couldn't. At the mention of the heart being stolen, Althea went into a panic. Sheldor… Sheldor Cooper was the man she loved? This can't be… she turned towards Penelope and closed her eyes tightly as she was proving wrong. The blonde illuminated in a heavenly blue light that was being expelled from her scarred chest. The blue… the same blue light that had shown her to Melinda's gift so long ago. The glow of Melinda Meward Cooper was protecting this Penelope. She… she had Sheldor's heart…

Althea picked up the bucket and closed her eyes tightly. She was not allowed to tell the woman that the witch hunter was alive. The thing that bothered Althea, and what she couldn't get Amelia to understand, was that… he was still moving… moving WITHOUT a HEART. This was a dire situation… it was known as Kuulani plague. A man with no heart has plenty of space for all types of evil… powerful, powerful evil. That was how true demons are created. He was slowly changing into an Mtawala or 'Conqueror or Controller' but better known as 'The 'Destroyer'.

Althea stepped towards the blonde and sat on the bed beside her. The movement jarred the blonde and Althea looked into her eyes and spoke very firmly, "An lo cheve, I have to tell you something about Sheld…"

The sudden powerful gravitational pull upon the castle caused Althea to stop dead. The power was so strong that it was pressing them down hard though it was brief… it made the Haitian swallow harshly at the pure rawness of the power. She moved off the bed and stepped towards the closed, steel door of Penelope's cell and could hear movement of lots of feet marching to towards the entrance of the castle. Her eyes went wide, "He… he made it through the arcs." It was an utterance of pure terror as she began muttering a chant under her breath. She sang… she sang to any of the Loa that would listen and the great Legba gave her eyes. He showed her the Chimera's full form and the ever growing mold of destruction seeping from the beast's paws. Even Legba had an unsettling feeling about the monster. He was FAR too strong. She was wrong before… he wasn't slowly changing… he already was an Mtawala. Her eyes shot open and she turned to see the frightened blonde, now wearing an almost angelic white dress that flowed down to her ankles. The small straps hung loose and went into a V shape down to her mid cleavage, the wrap not showing around her breasts but still revealing her scarred chest over her heart. She brought her hand up to cover her scar and loop her fingers into her hair as she spoke, "He… he who, Althea?"

Althea moved towards Penelope and was about to speak, but a flash of green flames erupted and Lady Fowler formed and stepped out of the smoke, "Althea, there has been a change of plans. Go to my mother's tree and guard it with you life. Penelope and I have a trip to make."

Althea's heart stopped, "My Lady… Sheld…"

Lady Fowler's eyes blared red towards the woman and screamed to cut off her, "NOW!"

Althea bowed her head and briefly grabbed Penelope's hand and looked into her eyes, "Don't be brave… an lo cheve… be a coward! Sometimes… losing something doesn't mean it's gone forever but the harder you fight... the further it could run. Stay strong… Penelope… but don't be a hero."

* * *

Penelope's brows touched in the center in confusion at the words just as Althea ran out the door. Lady Fowler gripped the wrist of the blonde with her cold, harsh, metallic hand and pulled her close. Penelope could almost see her reflection in the bone mask. There was something wrong. Penelope could tell. The witch's eyes roamed around and they flared red again. Her grip on Penelope's wrist got painfully tight. She loosened her grip and huffed. Her eyes flared green and suddenly there were engulfed in green fire.

When the flames died down, they were in a room where a tattered book lay open on a very dark pedestal. Lady Fowler threw the blonde's arm down as if throwing trash away and stomped to the book, "Rakooth, explain as to why I cannot manifest out of the castle?"

Penelope gasped as a mist form above in the head of a crocodile, "I'm afraid that someone has placed a Nulla Fugea spell upon the castle. The force that hit the castle a few moments ago was the spell taking anchor. I'm afraid that Dennikim has been killed and Sheldor and his friends have entered the building. The spell was cast by the witch hunter himself. His demon form has seemed to dissipate from having to use so much energy to kill the Hydra. He is now at his most vulnerable, my Lady."

The witch's eyes burned red THEN green and she spun as she spoke. Her voice was harsh and angry as she screamed at the book, "RAKOOTH! Penelope is now under your watch. She is not to leave this room. No one is allowed to leave this room without my permission."

The crocodile's head bowed sheepishly and regretfully, "A… as you wish."

As he spoke, the witch burst into smoke and left Penelope in the small room. Her eyes were wide and she gripped her heart with a shocked expression rippling all over her face… Sheldor… Sheldor was ALIVE?


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

The blackened push of the miasma continued to press against the Hydra's barrier trying to consume the snake. The two lummoxes stared dead at one another as the heads of the Hydra swayed. The Chimera's cobra was now straightened and towering above the lion's head to stare at the snakes before them.

It was the Hydra that stuck first. The middle head opened its jaws wide spat out a heap of sharpened, smoking needles that seemed to be made of crystallized acid. They spewed and all hit in an array upon the Chimera's chest. They hissed and sizzled against the pelt, but they soon began to seep into the red fur as blackened tar within drew the needles in. The Chimera took in a deep breath through its stretched nostrils making its white whiskers flex then hocked up as if about ready to spit. The Chimera opened its jaws as if about to roar, but strongly coughed out the shards of needles right back at the Hydra. The needles sprayed to hit all three, but they all just shattered the moment they hit the scaly skin.

The Chimera backed a few paces then gave out a spiny shattering bellow before lurching forward and almost shifting into the wind from its monstrous speed leaving the Hydra's heads searching the land for the beast in confusion. The island was now flattened and with no landscape so it made it easy to see where it would be, but it was nowhere to be found; only a few blurs of red showing that it was still around.

Pryna flapped her wings tirelessly as she held on to the nerk with Wolowix on his back. She, too, could not find the Chimera with her sharpened sight. Even his energy was gone.

Wolowix took two fistfuls of darkened fur and muttered, "Wh… what the hell? His… his aura… it's gone. Just… just gone. How's that possible?"

There was a clap of energy and a collision of air that drew everyone's focus back to the Hydra. Suddenly, the Chimera's form reappeared in a burst of speed and slid to a stop within the sticky substance that covered the land. It looked up with blazing blue eyes and walked over slowly towards the Hydra. The middle head moved, but the other two heads seemed frozen. The Chimera opened its mouth and chuffed as it walked to be squared right in front of the snakes. The cobra tail of the Chimera slithered in mid air to the side and blew its pink tongue to dart into the air as it stared at the confused Hydra.

The two heads on either side of the middle head began to loll back as four claw marks began to show from the inside out right underneath their jaw line. The claw marks grew darker and longer until it spanned the two snake's necks. With a sickening sloshed noise, the two heads fell to the side and hit the darkened honey substance and it covered them up quickly and took it into its own.

Onar opened his toothy jaws and screamed 'NO' in Fang Language, down at the Chimera, which resembled a yelping snarl. Pryna's syrinx let out a horrid screech that wove together with Onar's animalistic scream. Wolowix stared down in horror as the Hydra's wounds began to bubble and pop. He swallowed and shook his head, "Oh Balls…"

* * *

The middle head of the Hydra lolled its head back and opened its jaws just slightly and laughed, **_"Ssstupid FOOL. I am a HYDRA! You cut off my head..."_** The bubbling flesh erupted and three heads ripped out from either side collectively sprouting six more heads as the middle head let his pale blue tongue dart out and spoke again, **_"… three more will take itsss placcce."_**

The Chimera chuffed and let out a deep growl and showed its massive fangs as the twisted and glided within the air. Wolowix sat up straight with his eyes wide. There was something building within the Chimera… something untamed… and it made every hair on the innovagygr's body stand straight up. He tilted his head back and yelled, "PRYNA! MOVE BEHIND HIM! NOW! NOOOWW!"

The Garuda hesitated as if deep in thought, but soon, the bird lurched forward and moved to where they were behind the Chimera. The cobra tail took a snap at them, but was nowhere near hitting them. Onar bent his neck to the side to look at Wolowix with his dark eye, **_"What is happening?"_**

Wolowix stared down at the red lion with four thick horns and swallowed, "My grandpop told of an energy as dark as the night sky… an energy that could create AND destroy… an energy that could not be handled by any wizard, witch, or magi… only by a demon. This dark matter… this apocalyptic energy… he called it the 'Big Bang'."

Onar looked back towards the Chimera and could see purple wave of energy ribbons beginning to surge all over its body till they all climbed up the two set of horns. The red body was now blaringly red and was blurring in a glowing energy. The cobra blacked out then was surging red just like the rest of the body. Onar's fur stood on end and he used his telepathy to speak, **_"Is that what is all over the island?"_**

Wolowix stared in horror at the scene unfolding, "No… that's the demon's essence… this… this is the Big Bang."

The Chimera was now a charged cloud still in a vague shape of its original form then moved with unbelievable speed and shoved itself down the middle snake's throat. The cerulean blue, orange headed Hydra morphed into a black mass in its same shape and purple energy ribbons began to flow and glide from it. It was surging to the center where all the heads began to branch out. There, a deep hole lined with purple electricity manifested and suddenly… the whole blackened Hydra sucked into itself with Dennikim's scream of terror blaring from it. When it was all the way sucked in… a tiny black marble with small bolts of purple shooting from it floated where the hole was.

In a mad explosion centered at the marble, a wave of an unseen force shot out and nearly blew the Roc away, but her quick flutter of her two sets of wings allowed her to ride the wave. To the Garuda's relief, the icky blackness smoked off the land and left nothing but an island of just white sand. She swooped down and put the boys down before flaming and shifting back to her angelic form.

Wolowix hopped down and knelt to touch the sand as Onar shook off like a dog and sniffed the air, **_"Sheldor…"_** The nerk took off running towards where the marble erupted and slid to a stop. Just a few feet from the arc lay the naked body of Sheldor. The scar on his back, from where his heart was ripped out, was black and still had the purple current just flowing over the scar.

* * *

Pryna and Wolowix jogged over and stared down at the lifeless body. Pryna gasped, Wolowix just watched, and Onar jumped back and snarled as his body just angled up till he was back on his feet and slowly, Chrsnyght started to appear, but she disappeared as quickly as Sheldor was once again covered in black.

He soldier turned towards the arc and it air-tunneled for a few moments before it changed into the image of the witch's castle. The blackened Sheldor made no noise or hesitated as his toes lifted and hovered mere inches off the ground then ghosted into the portal.

Wolowix shook his head, "What the hell are we doing, guys? Sheldor… ain't Sheldor any more… There is no guarantee we can get him back to normal. He'll just become another creature that needs to be destroyed, except… he's gonna get US first. I loved my wife and I want to get revenge, but… my wife would've hit me with a shoe if she knew that I had teamed up with a mindless, heartless demon that could possibly kill me before I even GET my revenge. The only reason I haven't turned back, yet… I don't want him to be alone."

Pryna and Onar looked at the man with understanding eyes, **_"He is STILL our friend… we have to try... and if we fail… we need to at least save Penenlope. Alex… she would've wanted me to save the damsel in distress."_**

Pryna looked over at Onar with teary eyes, "I have not known the witch hunter for a long amount of time, but… a Garuda is loyal to the end. I will help you save him and the woman you speak of… but my brother comes first."

The three stood before the arc as Wolowix nodded, "Book, girl, and Sheldor… in that order…" He snapped and the white sand shot him up and he straddled the nerk. He extended his hand down to the angelic woman and she took it and flung herself behind him as Onar growled and spoke to them with his mind, **_"Let's get this nightmare over with."_** With that, the three slipped into the arc and everything behind them shattered like dropped porcelain.

Onar hopped out of the small puddle portal and as his feet touched the hardwood floor, the portal snapped and shattered into air. They looked up to see Sheldor back in his Bazinga form as his small snake tail moved wildly on its own. The creature looked over its shoulder with bleeding red eyes dripping down it cheek and suddenly there was a huge push and pull of gravity that nearly crushed the nerk down to his belly. It was brief but terrifyingly strong.

Wolowix shook his head, "Oh CRAP… a Nulla Fugea spell…"

Pryna shook her head, "A WHAT?"

Wolowix sighed, "It's an imprisoning spell… nothing in and nothing out. Whatever happens… we're all stuck here until the one who casts it is either dead or the magic is nullified. Another fun power of demon magic."

The three looked up and saw Demon Sheldor standing in place with one of its bloody eyes looking back at them and it made the three nervous, **_"What… what is he doing? Is… is he waiting for us?"_**

The sound of the demon's voice made the three jump a little, **"This is where we all part ways, you pathetic mortals…**" Onar snarled as the demon's cloven hooves clicked upon the wooden floor of a stylishly decorated hallway and stopped a few feet in front of them. He was tall, but still had to look up into the nerk's eyes as he smiled a shark-tooth grin, **"… if we happen upon one another throughout this little journey… it will be safe to say that I will slaughter the lot of you. From here on in… we are enemies. Your friend is NO MORE! He is MINE! Now… GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"**

Wolowix and Pryna both made a shocked face, but Onar snarled and moved his nose down to where his myopic eyes could take it the demon and he spoke with his telepathy, **_"You listen to me you goat footed bastard… We WILL find Sheldor's heart and SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR THROAT IF WE HAVE TO! He is our friend and we are coming back for him. No amount of petty threats from a snake-tailed PUSSY is going to make us back down! Now… YOU get out of MY sight!"_** Onar let out a barking snarl that made everyone of his sharpened teeth show. The demon moved back a little with an angered look on its face. It gave a chuckle then turned and blared down the hall with unbelievable speed.

When the demon left, Onar snorted and his ears fell to the side. Pryna hopped off and walked to his side and placed a small hand on his long arm, "That was very brave… stupid… but brave. You showed much courage and respect for your friend… if he was in there… I'm sure he was bursting with pride."

Onar tilted his head down so a single dark eye looked at her from the side. She smiled very sensually and ran her finger over the sensitive pits that held his whiskers, "Take heart, Onar… take heart at the fact that we are more than half way through our journey and that Sheldor is in the same castle as his heart. We can save him… we can save everyone." She stood on her tippy toes and kissed him just below his whiskers and close to his mouth then smiled.

* * *

Wolowix slid down to the other side and looked behind them with a stern look as Onar and Pryna shared a moment. There was a power… a very strong and familiar power that made his fist clench tightly as he mumbled under his breath, "Lordornia."

He took off in a sprint towards the power. He didn't notice the painting's heads turning to watch him run as he blindly followed the pulsing power. He finally got to a hallway that led down to a honey red oak door. He narrowed his eyes and slowly made his way down the corridor. There was no handle, no crease in the door, only an old man with a beard and mustache and wearing a dark, tanned hat. Wolowix shook his head at the bizarreness of the situation. He looked down at the closed eyes of the old man's face and eyeballed the ring hanging from his mouth. He reached over and took the ring and banged it on the door three times.

"What in the natural phenomena of the universe do you think you're doing, little GIRL! I am the tree of life not some damn pearly gate you can just knock on so remove your masturbatory grip, letcher! State your business and fly off you pixie poking Pegasus dung!"

Wolowix stared open mouth at the blabbering doorknocker, "Wh… what did… what did you just call me? I'll turn you into a one legged rocking chair you crazy old bastard!" He leaned in with his hand glowing blue and the old man laughed.

"Take it easy, Honey bunny. We don't want you smearing your mascara. Now, why don't you turn around and fly off on your broom because you can keep knocking, troll knuckles, but I won't be letting you in… and no amount of blue goo glowie sticks is gonna change my mind. NOW… scram!"

Wolowix popped his knuckles at the crazy man's insults and was about to hit him with a spell just as Onar and Pryna showed up behind him. The knocker groaned, "Oh sweet universe… you actually have FRIENDS? Wow… I don't know whether to be shocked or feel sorry for them. Look, I don't care how many of you there are… nobody is gettin' in!"

Onar spoke to the two with his mind, **_"Wolowix, allow me."_**

Wolowix stepped to the side and moved to stand beside Pryna as the nerkanine stepped forward and growled. The doorknocker rolled his wooden eyes, "Look, Fido…" As the old man spoke, Onar took in a deep deep inhale then screamed a blaring noise right into the face of the arrogant old man. Wolowix and Pryna ducked their heads and covered their ears at the tremendously irate noise. The pure power of the siren blew against the door like a hurricane wind. Onar held this noise until the knocker could no longer take it. He pressed inside himself and a long slit formed upon the door. Onar shut his jaws and tried to catch his raspy breath. The door clicked and opened up.

Wolowix and Pryna moved to either side of the nerk and all stare at the beautiful pond surrounding the grass path leading to a glorious sycamore tree. Wolowix grinned, "Ok… so… you gonna tell us where that came from?"

Onar was patting like a dog, but his telepathy allowed cut through, **_"Always been able to do that… but I have an attack of dyspnea after using it. So, I try to avoid it. Not being able to breathe is a deal breaker."_**

The two stopped talking as Pryna stepped forward and readied her bansuri. They stepped forward into the room and looked shocked. They were about to ask what was happening when they saw a black woman approaching with a rattle in her hand. They readied themselves on either side of the Garuda.

The black woman stopped and shook her rattle just a little. The door behind them slammed shut, loudly, and disappeared leaving them in a doorless room. There was a wall that circled around the path and the pond. There was no ceiling, just a long tube of a tower leading straight up. The moonlight reflected off the pond's surface from above. The walls were being engulfed by morning glory and moss and it smelled like a damp mold. There was no way out… they had no idea how to get out of this room, but as Wolowix felt the power that had led him to the door in the first place… he wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.

* * *

Penelope paced back and forth in front of Rakooth. Each time she passed by him, his mist would be a different object. Penelope didn't seem to notice, but the book was doing it to amuse himself. He wanted to talk to the frantic girl, but… he had a weird problem with talking to girls. He could talk to the witch, no problem, mostly due to the fact that he was scared of her, but he found that even though she was a fearsome witch… there are times where he got to see her human side. He liked those times. Those times where she treated him NOT like a book of knowledge, but a friend… someone to lean on. Those moments didn't happen a lot, but when they did… it was glorious.

The blonde was a bit different. She was beautiful, strong willed, and overzealous. She didn't have magic, but she was still scary. Right now, she seemed enthralled in her own thoughts. She bit at her nails as her brows touched on her forehead. She was pacing frantically for the fact that she couldn't get out of the room AND she just found out that the man who gave her his heart was, in fact, alive. She passed by the book one more time and stopped as she stared down. Rakooth was a floating seahorse with his head tilted. She spun quickly and it shocked him out of his mist form into just a transparent cloud.

Penelope raised a brow and slowly approached, "Rakooth… wasn't it?"

The mist formed into words as **YES** appeared in transparent letters. Penelope nodded and took in a breath, "I heard Ames say that you were the book of knowledge. That means you know everything… if that's the case then you can tell me… is Sheldor alive? And if so... how? I watched him fall and… and…"

Rakooth formed words in mid air, **YES, SHELDOR IS ALIVE. HIS GRANDMOTHER WAS ONE OF THE STRONGEST WITCHES ALIVE AND SHE PLACED A VERY POWERFUL SPELL ON HIS HEART. THE ****_PROSTASIA_**** SPELL IS A PROTECTION SPELL. IT NOT ONLY ENSURES THAT HE WILL NEVER BE ALONE, BUT THAT HE CANNOT BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF MAGICALLY OR DEMONICALLY. THAT SPELL WAS CASTED UPON HIS HEART… WHICH NOW RESIDES IN YOUR CHEST.**

She reached up and let her fingers trace over the gnarly scar. She looked up at the cloud and shook her head, "That doesn't explain the whole ALIVE thing."

The cloud formed letters again, **FOR SOMEONE WHO DID IT ON A DAILY BASIS; YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN I. WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT SHELDOR COMES FROM A VERY LONG LINE OF POWERFUL WITCHES AND WORLOCKS SO THE AMOUNT OF MAGIC IN HIS VEINS COULD BRING A WHOLE VILLAGE OF DEAD PEOPLE TO LIFE. ONLY THING IS, WITHOUT HIS HEART TO FILTER OUT ANY OF THE ****_BAD_**** MAGIC, HE COULD VERY WELL PERISH OR SUCCUMB TO THE DEMON'S MAGIC.**

Penelope shook her head as a dreadful thought ran around her head, "What… what are you talking about? Demon?"

Rakooth's cloud shifted into different colors as he realized that he wasn't supposed to tell her about the whole Sheldor/demon/her having his heart thing. He hated seeing the look of panic and terror on her face and gave in, **GALEHUS WAS A WORMHOLE CREATED BY VAXT, THE DEMON OF TIME, FOR HIS DAUGHTER, CHRSNYGHT. YOU KNOW THAT ALREADY, BUT WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW IS THAT LADY FOWLER PLACED A STRANGE TYPE OF NULLA FUGEA SPELL UPON THE DIMINSION TO WHERE IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR CHRSNYGHT TO LEAVE, UNLESS SHE COULD MASK HER PRESENCE. SHELDOR ALLOWED CHRSNYGHT TO 'PIGGY BACK' ON HIM BUT, HER DEMONIC MAGIC 'INFECTED' HIM. **

Penelope took a few steps back completely flabbergasted, "Wh… I…"

Before she could say another word there was a beastly crash against the door than made Penelope spin and grab at her Blossoms and cursed as she realized she was wearing a dress without them. Rakooth slammed shut and Penelope muttered, "Coward."

The next slam against the door broke whatever spell was around it and the last one had the door shattering into pieces and the pieces smoking into black fog and disappearing. Lady Fowler's green fire erupted and she was in front of Rakooth. Penelope's stern eyes narrowed as a cat like creature with ram horns, a snake tail, and goat legs stomped forward. The creature's eyes were blood red and seemed to pour down its cheek, but nowhere else. It smiled a jaggedly morbid smile as a grotesquely long and sticky tongue slithered out the side of his mouth and hang there as it swayed like seaweed underwater.

The aura… the aura was so powerful… so deadly… but… so familiar. Penelope swallowed and looked over at Lady Fowler. Her stance was confident but it was hard to truly tell with the mask… the MASK! Penelope back pedaled to the side as the mask seemed to come alive. It was like a starfish on fast forward. It gripped around the woman's head and two huge ears popped up. The bone mask shifted into a reflective silver texture that entirely covered the witch's body. Penelope gasped at how powerful her aura was, now.

* * *

The cat creature's tongue slid back into its mouth as it stood up tall and straight to give out a laugh, **"How cute… you think hiding behind a dead demon's remains is going to save you."** Another laugh erupted from the creature's belly and stopped just as quick. It let out a terrifying snarl and blurred out of sight. Penelope looked over the silver coated witch and she blurred out, too, but reappeared closer to the door the creature had busted in from. The cat demon crashed into the podium where Rakooth was sitting on and it sent the book flying to the side. As the cat creature snarled and shredded the last little bit of the podium into puffs of smoke while stomping towards the direction the witch was in, Penelope ran over to the fallen book. She wrapped it in her arms and turned to back to the standoff of ultimate power.

The cat creature let out a laughing bellow mixed with a roar of some kind and widened its stance, **"Run, Run, Run as fast as you can… I'm going to kill you eventually, but I do so appreciate you making it fun for me, at least."**

Penelope stared at the silver coated witch and swallowed as the cat creature bolted towards her again. The witch held her arm out and opened her hand wide towards Penelope and suddenly, Penelope was right in front of the witch… used as a shield. The blonde gripped the book tightly in her arms as the demon's charge froze on the spot, its arm still in the shape of a thorny sword. The witch had Penelope's left shoulder in a death grip as she mumbled an incantation. Penelope felt a deep burning in her chest that caused her to be engulfed in a very vivid blue light that originated from her scarred chest then it dimmed down. Penelope looked down to watch her own shadow swim across and dive into the cat creature's shadow. Immediately, the same blue light abruptly cannon fired from its back, left shoulder. The shadow slithered back to Penelope's feet and she looked up at the cat creature with wide eyes. She had no idea what just happened, but something about the creature just changed… its power was building stronger. The witch's voice rang out clear from the silver suit, _"You will stand down or I'll kill her!"_

The demon gave another laugh with its tongue draping out of its mouth. Penelope closed her eyes tight and wondered what the hell the witch was playing at. The silver coated witch spoke with an amused tone, _"Oh… I see… you don't understand what I just did, do you? Well… allow me to demonstrate."_

With confusion on the demon's AND Penelope's face… the witch lifted her left, silver coated hand and it morphed into a razor sharp, four edged spear head. She stretched out the morphed object and placed it upon Penelope's left cheek and jerked it, back hard and fast. It cut Penelope's cheek deeply and caused her to flinch her entire body to the side as she screamed in pain. Within seconds, the cat creature did the same but with an ethereal roar.

Penelope looked up in shock at the creature cupping its left cheek and snarling towards the witch. There was bright red leaking from the wound and she lifted her hand up to touch the warmed, thick blood pouring out of her cheek. She let out a huff of air just as the witch's voice spoke again, _"You understand, now? I have placed a very interesting spell on you and your woman… the __**Srce Na Srcu**__ spell. Anything that happens to her… happens to you. An Udio spell that I've perfected over the years… You and she share a heart… now… you will share your fates! You understand, now?"_

Penelope's mind was racing as her cheek throbbed, madly. Share… share a heart? What the hell is she…

Before she had time to even finish her thought, the demon scorched forward in blinding speed and leapt up high in the air, ready to strike down. The witch's grip made Penelope squeal from pain just as the demon did, but something sparked out of its body, sending the cat demon backwards. Penelope watched a female creature with horse legs slam one hoof into the witch's chest as the other pushed Penelope off into a roll against the floor. She tumbled and rolled while still holding the book tight then finally came to a stop. She stared up to see a long tail with fur running down it and slipping at the tip of the female creature that snapped out of the cat demon. Penelope saw a smoke float out of the book and she back up. The letters were cluttered but soon they formed four words, **CHRSNYGHT, DEMON OF CHAOS**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

Penelope moved with the book in her hands and stared at the struggle with blood of her cheek drying up. Chrsnyght shoved the palm of her hand against the face of the silver coated witch and she could see sparks flying everywhere. Chrsnyght snarled madly and twisted her hand and a rush of power shot out through the room almost knocking Penelope over. The female half demon placed both hooves on the witch's chest then yanked with all her might. The silver coating seemed to rush up to the mask just as it began to peel off the witch's face. Chrsnyght flew off the witch with the bone mask in her hand and she floated in place, **"Well lookie here? You don't have my father's BONES to hide behind anymore. Guess that means, today… I finally get my revenge…"**

Penelope watched the mask melt in the half demon's hand and drip, but the drops stop in mid air to make 8 little circles. The symbol on her cheek looked as though it were on fire. From there, a ring of flame that spread all over the half demon's body and left her flesh looking like stone-colored ash. The ashes stayed in perfect form as she still hovered in place. Her eyes opened abruptly. They were still black with a white slit, but the slit shivered then expanded into a thin circle that left two perfectly whitened circles within each eye. Those white circles radiated a high-beam glow as she let out a monstrous neigh that triggered the ash to harden and erupt into an enormous, eight-legged horse known as a Sleipnir. The creature had a long, dragon like tail with matching wings that spanned up and around the center of the room. The beast's mane, tail, fetlocks, and fur down and at the tip of the tail were a blue, purplish flame. There were sharp, jagged canines jutting out of the top lip as the 8 little white circles from the mask wrapped around each of the long, strong legs. The creature fell gracefully in front of the nearly faceless witch that made Penelope gasp.

When all eight legs hit the ground, a scorching blue flame built up and swept along the floor. Penelope back pedaled, but saw how fast the fire was so she turn and ran. She could feel the fire burning the tips of her ears as she saw the wall and knew she was done for. She spun only inches from the wall and gripped the book to her chest. She closed her eyes and missed her hero's reappearance.

A very naked man swept in front of Penelope and uncrossed his arms in front of him in a forceful move towards the demon's fire. Penelope's chest burned and she looked down to see a blue mist pulsing out of her scar. She looked up to see the man's scarred back blazing the same blue as the flames obeyed his gesture and parted to crash all around the two. Penelope stared at the bare back as the pulsing blue aura of his scar slowly disappeared. She looked down at her chest and saw the same effect and her mind clicked.

The pale man moved his body and stood up straight. He turned to show his stubbly chin, caved in cheek bones with the massive wound on his left cheek, and weakened blue eyes… but it was still him… she would recognize him anywhere. Her voice cracked as she took in a rushed intake of air, "Sh… Sheldor?"

He gave a small and sleepy smile as he reached over and tucked a lock of her golden hair behind her ear. The action brought tears to her eyes as she let out an erratic huff of air from her lungs. She dropped the book that was in her arms and lunged to embrace him around his neck. He stumbled backwards then finally found his footing as he blushed at the fact that he was naked. He let out a sigh of contentment as he wrapped one arm around her while the other cupped the back of her head to stroke her golden locks, "Hello, Penelope."

* * *

Chrsnyght's demonic baying echoed throughout the small room and jarred them apart. They both looked at the witch and she looked utterly defeated. Her half gone, cracked face looked fearful but angry. Her eyes searched the room and spotted what she was looking for. She reached out her hand and Rakooth popped from where he was on the floor to the hands of the eager witch. Rakooth's mist spiraled around the broken faced witch as a snake and spoke softly, "My Lady… he is not complete… there are a lot of technicalities that have yet to be resolved. The two main ones are: he has yet to fully fuse with your Aunt's bones and he doesn't quite follow all commands. Please… My Lady… Please…"

Lady Fowler's voice was crackled but clear, "Now is not the time to question me, Rakooth. Please… Just call him… NOW!"

The little snake disappeared and the book burned a brownish red color then faded. As this happened, Sheldor managed to conjure a pair of pants and was about to conjure a shirt when there was an immediate rumble that echoed through the castle and quivered the ground below their feet. The Sleipnir's eight legs lifted off the ground to avoid the shockwaves as Penelope and Sheldor fell and pressed their backs against the wall. Their eyes shot open wide as they both saw a huge horn about the size OF Chrsnyght's demon form rip from the floor below like it was water. More thorn like horns began to lift through the floor and the room began to crumble.

Sheldor grabbed a hold of Penelope's arm as he rushed down the wall. The floor was turning into chunks of stone that were plummeting downward. Penelope's bare feet slapped against the flat, crumbling floor and she dared a look at the creature the witch had summoned. It was a dragon… almost. It looked like it was sewn together like a rag doll. Its head was in patches of scales, fur, and bare flesh that seemed to be knitted around the monstrous horns that looked to be a part of the skeleton. It had no eyes, just stitches where they were supposed to be.

The creature was crawling with its bat like wings. It threw its massive creased wing and its three claw-like fingers on the folded part of the wing up towards them in order to climb higher and Penelope kicked into high gear. Their grips shifted as Penelope's agility yanked Sheldor forward. When the dragon's clawed wing hit, Penelope's speed wasn't enough. The crumbling floor dropped hard and the two went with it, screaming at the top of their lungs.

Sheldor's arm acted fast as it gripped at a sturdy part left of the floor below the one they were just at. He gripped Penelope's arm tight and they both jarred from the fall and swung a little bit before settling into a static form. Beside him was a ledge that seemed to still be intact and he moved swiftly for the fear that his grip was loosening. He rocked his body a few times and Penelope's voice screamed at him but he didn't listen at all. When he finally got enough momentum, he launched Penelope onto the ledge. She cried out after she rolled to safety and the sturdy chunk gave out sending him flipping and falling downward.

Penelope scrambled to the edge with her eyes in tears. She wasn't going to lose him… not when she just got him back. She ran and dove head first off the ledge. She straightened out her body to fall faster as she spotted him in mid flight. She screamed his name and caused his eyes to open wide at her descent. Her arms rose up and as she got close enough to him, she wrapped them around his neck as his went around her torso. As they plummeted to the ever closer ground of the castle floor, time seemed to almost slow to a crawl. Sheldor's eyes shut tight as his chin rested on top of her shoulder. She let out an emotional laugh as she let a few tears fall, "Haven't we done this before, already?"

He moved his lip over her shoulder and muttered, "Why did you jump? You were perfectly safe… why did you _JUMP_?"

She pressed her cheek against his stubble and brushed her lips against his ear as she shut her eyes tightly, as well, "Because I can't… I can't lose you again. I WILL NOT LOSE YOU AGAIN! I… I… love you."

His eyes shot open just as time picked its speed back up. He constrains his arms around her tighter and clenches in anticipation for the impact. Just before they hit the ground; they're both engulfed in a blue haze of static electricity then zapped into thin air.

* * *

Lady Fowler grips one of the huge horns on top of the sewn dragon's head and she looks down where the two had fallen with narrowed eyes. She lets the anger sweep all around her as she snaps her focus back at the horse demon. She was wasting her time with this… pathetic horse demon. She needed to return to her mother. The pure heart had peaked to its maximum power and was in the perfect condition to open the seal. The seal of Magic that held her legion that she would thrust upon this wretched land. With the seal severed… she would finally get the power to remove the Pembe curse and the power to call upon any Ghede… any Radha… any damn creature she wanted and finally have the respect she deserved from these… peasants.

With the book tightly gripped folded neatly under her arm she beckoned the beast forward and it listened with gusto. The Sleipnir, who was the size of a small bird in comparison to the dragon, had no time to react as the dragon jutted its head forward and snapped its jaws. The Sleipnir was swallowed and the witch laughed and spoke through the gaping hole of her lower face, "So much for the great demon of Chaos… Faisal… take me to my mother!"

The dragon acknowledged his name and lifted his head but didn't move. The dragon shook his massive head and raised his head again and it chirped loudly in dismay. Lady Fowler narrowed her eyes and looked down at the book under her arm, "Rakooth… explain. Why isn't Faisal's teleportation powers working?"

A mist formed into a tree frog and hopped on her shoulder, "My Lady, it seems as though Althea has placed a rather powerful spell within your mother's room. It seems that Sheldor's friends have found their way in past Rothman and are threatening to attack. Althea defends your mother."

The tree frog popped into a smoke cloud as the dragon jerked awake and started forward. He was like a walking demolition squad. He plowed through wall after wall. Lady Fowler placed a shield in front of her body as she tried to find where Sheldor and her Bestie went. Their auras were still quite present around her, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly where they were. They couldn't leave the castle because of the Nulla Fugea spell so they had to be somewhere. They couldn't hide… not for too long.

* * *

Althea stood between the three and stood her ground. She spoke to them with her Haitian accent with a low, calm voice, "It's a tradition of warriors to state the other's name before commencing a lethal battle. I am Althea, daughter of Michonne who was Juu Mambo of the Kabyefon tribe. I am eternally the last of the Voudo Mambos and cursed to serve the witches who killed all my people."

Wolowix stepped forward with his eyes nearly glowing from anger towards the tree, "I am Howardrick Wolowix. I am an Innovagygr. I am married to Bernaquette, a Dísir spirit that gave up her immortality and spiritual form JUST to be with me, and she was TAKEN FROM ME!" His body started to smoke a blue haze as he pointed his finger at the tree with hatred brewing inside him, "Murdered by LORDORNIA! THIS WITCH YOU PROTECT!"

Onar prowled beside Wolowix and snarled, **_"I am Onar, the omega of the Hofkey pack, son of Ylreveb, the alpha bitch. I was saved by a little human girl name Alex Jensen and her family. One night, their village was attacked by Trolls and there were too many to fight off by myself. They clubbed me unconscious and when I woke up… my human girl was dead! All of them were dead! SLAUGHTERED by the WITCH and her insatiable lust for watching innocent people SUFFER!"_** The nerk snarled and clicked his teeth, **_"I have come to avenge my girl… to avenge THE ENTIRE VILLAGE!"_**

Pryna stepped forward and narrowed her eyes. She had heard of this magical religion known as Voudo and knew better than to put her cards on the table. She extended her two sets of wings in front of the men and raised her bansuri, "You do not need to know who I am. Just know that if anything happens to my friends… I will not hesitate to attack you with all my strength."

Pryna brought the long, bamboo stick-like flute up to her lips and readied to play a song. She didn't like the feel of this woman's immense power. Her eyes shifted to the tree and narrowed. She had a bad feeling about this situation… they had numbers, but the power emitting from the black woman alone was staggering. She was a Mambo… a priestess… a priestess of WHAT?

Althea smiled and gripped her Asson tightly, "You are a Garuda… and the daughter of a Dusara from the looks of the pale ruby upon your bindi. You play the bamboo flute, so I'm guessing you are either a charmer or a Jadu. You don't need to tell me who you are… the spirits know you, that's all that matters."

Pryna's eyes widened, "Spirits? You are an Ātmā Vāktā?"

A cackle of laughter originated from the sycamore tree's trunk and Pryna's eyes slid to stare at a very strange, golden glow of a branch… no… no… an arrow? And her eyes slid back to Althea. Wolowix stepped forward and snarled, "Finally going to show yourself you MONSTER!"

The laugh started again as a female form morphed from the tree's bark. The golden pulse of the arrow embedded deep within the witch's wooden formed chest as she smiles down at Wolowix, "Althea… why didn't you tell me we had guests."

Wolowix clenched his fist tight and two thin strands of blue fire shot up on either side of each of his feet. They moved and burned a circle into the ground just as he yelled angrily, "DON'T YOU DARE IGNORE ME!" With that, the blue flames launched two thick rocks from the ground that soon shifted into spinning axes towards the witch.

Lordornia squinted her eyes and the axes exploded into chunks of rock. She looked over at the boy and scoffed, "I remember you… Oh Yes… cute little wife… her heart was clammy and kitschy… easily the most useless heart I had gathered. Tossed it to the floor the moment I took it. Just utter rubbish."

Wolowix snapped. Blue flames haloed around the man and proliferated violently around him. It pushed Pryna and Onar backwards as the blue flame darkened into a violent purple maelstrom of unchallenged energy. Wolowix bellowed out a cry of anger and the energy seeped into every crack and crevice that the room had and the terrain started to attack. Water sliced at the trunk while the ceiling's stalactites speared downward and sliced the blood red foliage right off. The ground rumbled and two large hands shot out from in front and threatened to yank the tree from the ground, roots and all.

The witch screamed in agony, but a rush of power sent everything back to its normal state. Wolowix charged forward during that with a battle cry and the purple flaming energy surrounding him. The energy bounced back whatever Althea was trying to cast as his eyes set on the witch's throat. The energy gathered up in his right hand as he leapt and struck. His fist and body paused in mid air and he and the witch shared heated glances.

Lordornia's face was twisted in anger as she whispered, "You are never going to be strong enough to kill me, BOY. Why don't you go ahead… AND KILL YOURSELF!" As she yelled, a massive burst of red energy sliced into Wolowix's chest then threw him backwards with a brutal intent. Pryna's wing sprawled out and snared the soaring male. The momentum was easily matched with the strength of her downward movement of her wing's pectoral muscles.

Onar snarled and sprinted with purpose. His paws were leaves in the wind and his snarl was sharpened for the kill. Althea didn't hesitate this time. She rattled her asson and hummed a song. The asson blurred as if going in slow motion and Onar stopped on a dime. His eyes went completely white and he turned around. Pryna and Wolowix gasped and backed up as the blackened nerk had a human skull that looked to have been painted on a long time ago. It was faded and looked to have chips in the paint. There was a red cross that looked to be bleeding down his forehead as his eyes were almost glowing at how white they were.

Althea's asson was blurry still, but she kept it still in her hands. Her eyes were just as white at the nerk's as she spoke with her voice and a man's voice overlapping in a deep, African accent, "_I am Baron Kriminel… and I am here to pass judgment on you insignificant Etranje_!"

The witch's voice cleared over the 14 foot nerkanine, "Kill them… all of them. I COMMAND you Baron Kriminel… Their blood is yours to keep!"

Onar stopped moving and sat upon his haunches. Everyone stared at the nerk just as the witch's anger grew, "WHY DO YOU NOT OBEY ME!"

Althea's voice spoke with hers and a man's voice again, "_Baron Kriminel does not take commands. Baron Kriminel has pronounced his judgment and my lespri frè have chosen their side._"

The witch frowned deeply, "Chosen? Side... what side? Althea… what is the meaning of THIS?"

Althea's eyes went back to its darkened color and Onar was released from his spiritual hold, "I'm sorry, Mistress… but the Loa spirits will not fight." Althea looked toward Wolowix and Pryna and saw the hundreds of spirits lined behind them. The Loa chose them over the witch and Althea couldn't say she didn't see this coming.

As the witch screamed in frustration, a flash of deep blue erupted behind the tree and a huge splash shook everyone out of their focus. No one saw the witch's eyes go wide and a smirk fly on her face just as her form sunk back into the trunk. The witch chuckled deeply as Althea stayed in the same place; watching as the three stormed towards the water.

Althea shut her eyes tightly and prayed to her deceased mother that what had just fallen into the water wasn't Penelope and Sheldor. She knew her prayers were in vain because she could recognize Penelope's aura anywhere… and definitely the aura of Melinda Maward Cooper.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

* * *

Wolowix ran to the water up to his boots and he yelled, "I can't tell if there are two auras or just one big one, but I recognize it… it's… IT'S SHELDOR!" He paused in horror and looked back at the nerk, who immediately understood his panic. Sheldor couldn't swim… Onar took off running and leapt into the water as Wolowix muttered an incantation under his breath. Pryna let out a high pitched squeal like a bird's chirp and pointed out where the splash occurred, "LOOK!"

The water had a deep glow underneath and the water began to swell up. Onar doggy paddled in place as he watched a pulsing bubble of energy rise up. The glow reflected off the eyes of the three as it rose and drifted towards the embankment.

Althea gripped her asson as the sphere sparked and crackled as it hit the surface of the grassy path. The aura was so strong that Althea couldn't tell if Sheldor was still a demon or not. She swallowed as she heard the rush of water cascading to the ground as the nerk pushed out of the water. She noticed the three keeping a safe distance, but still standing close by. She calmed her heart with deep breaths. The blue energy bubble began to phase into mitosis then swirled into nothingness to reveal a human Sheldor holding Penelope in bridal fashion. Althea gasped at the limp body of the blonde in his arms and looked at the man's face. It was twisted in anger as his eyes glued to the sycamore tree.

Onar and Wolowix rushed to the shirtless man's side. Pryna cringed at the misshapen scar on his back as she approached, but stopped on a dime as she felt an intense power almost seeping out from it. A blackened mist seemed to be smoking out of the center of the scar, but a little blue web of energy seemed to be keeping it from erupted out of the small wound. She narrowed her eyes and kept her distance.

* * *

Sheldor could feel it… he could feel the hatred and animosity trying to wrap him in the darkness of power just looking at the tree before him. Yet… there was another force at play. He looked down at the woman in his arms and all the demons in the world couldn't touch him. She loved him… he heard her before some unknown force zapped them here. She… she LOVED him. He couldn't quite grasp the concept of someone saying that to him. He stared down at her scarred chest and he felt a pressure he had never felt before. If he WERE to take back his heart… what would happen to her? The thought of her lying dead in his arms made him highly nauseated. He… he loved her… he loved her, too.

Wolowix and Onar found their way to his front and stared in horror at the blonde in his arms. Onar spoke, **_"Is… is she…"_**

Sheldor shook his head, "No… just unconscious. Where are we?"

Wolowix moved in and helped Sheldor as he attempted to place her on the ground. Before either of the men could answer him, Althea spoke over them, "You are in the center chamber of the Fowler's Castle. I answered yours… now you answer mine… how did you break into my Nulla Fugea spell?"

Sheldor made sure that Penelope was safely on the ground as he approached the black woman, "I have no idea… it seems that Penelope and I share a very uncommon bond."

Althea did not move as she watched the witch hunter, "You can feel it… can't you? You can feel the demons inside of you trying to claw their way out. It's too late to save yourself! You allowed the darkness to plague and infest your every vein and organ within you… even if you WERE to take back your heart… it would be in vain."

Sheldor took another menacing step towards the Haitian. She was right. Every step he took away from Penelope was another step towards the demon that he didn't wish to become, "Who are you?"

Althea raised her asson, "The question is… Sheldor of Galstire… who are YOU?"

He stopped and stared at her with wide, blue eyes. She shook the rattle and frowned, "Your grandmother would've whooped your hide had she known you given your soul to the demons, but she would've been proud to know that you had given your heart to the woman who loves you… and to the woman YOU love."

Onar and Wolowix looked shocked as they looked from Althea, to Sheldor, and then to Penelope.

Pryna stepped forward with feathers tussled and her bansuri close to her lips, "What will happen to him if his heart isn't returned?"

Sheldor gave a sideways glance towards Pryna then looked at Althea. The answer she gave was simple and finite, "He will be devoured."

* * *

Sheldor frowned deeply and moved forward. He was tired of listening to the useless chit chat of information he already knew. He finally had a chance to strike a blow to Lady Fowler and her power… Lordornia. Althea was powerless as Sheldor moved right around her and squared up to the base of the sycamore tree. His eyes hazed over in darkness as he suppressed the demonic growl in his throat, "It's been a very long time Ms. Lordornia Lidia Fowler since I shot you in the heart… Lordornia Lidia Fowler."

Wolowix had secured Penelope on the back of Onar and both moved to Sheldor's side. Pryna stood to the immediate left of Althea and felt the pressure of the witch's power build up as she manifested herself against the golden pulse of the arrow, "Why look at you… the great Sheldor all grown up… and handsome to boot! No wonder my daughter hasn't killed you yet."

Sheldor was in no mood for her banter, "You… you have caused FAR too much pain upon this world! You and your daughter must be punished for your horrid actions and I have come to unleash that punishment. The wrath of those you have murdered… the torment of those who were left alive to remember those unspeakable moments… each of those… has found their way… inside my empty… bottomless HEART!" With his last word, the blue webbing that held back the blackened miasma conceded and Sheldor was engulfed with power.

The Bazinga mode of Sheldor ripped and roared back. His jagged toothed smile was long and crooked as his lizard long tongue draped out of the side of his mouth. Lordornia gave a smile and kept her form within the tree bark.

Althea shook her head and shook her rattle. Though the spirits wouldn't fight, they would still protect if called upon. She had a very VERY bad feeling down her spine, but it wasn't a worry for the demon OR the witch… it was for everyone else. Though she served the witches with no question, the Loa did NOT. They knew… every last one of them could FEEL the bad that was about to happen… and as if on cue… a loud pop rang out and a massive beast fell to the water. Althea could feel the enormous power radiating from the random-patched dragon. Its wings resembled that of scaled batwings and were nearly wrapped around the cave twice. The beast folded its wings back and fell forward and used the bend of the wing like front paws.

There was a flash of green close to the top of the monster's head and the flash appeared in between Bazinga Sheldor and the sycamore tree. Lady Fowler erupted from the flames with half her face crumbling off. Her eyes were amused as she stared at the demon then at Penelope upon the nerk's back, "I finally have you EXACTLY where I want you…" She held up Rakooth with his spine down and the cover began to burn orange as it floated and opened in mid air. The burnt edged paper flipped until it reached a certain page then burned a very familiar blue.

Bazinga Sheldor's back almost rocketed forward as the blue flames shot out from where his scar would be under the black shell. It made the demon scream an animalistic groan as one of his cloven hoofed feet lurched forward and slammed into the grass for support. As this happened, Penelope floated off the back of Onar as her scarred chest burned blue as well. The shock of the pain woke her up and she screamed and tried to cover her chest with her hands. The power was too strong and it forced her hands away.

* * *

Lady Fowler eyes smiled as Penelope floated down in front of her. Lady Fowler looked back at her mother then turned back to the two now engulfed in their own flames. She brought up her metallic arm (that was showing signs of the Pembe curse) and snapped her fingers and the flames disappeared, "It seems that my Udio curse is still in effect… good." She grabbed Penelope by the throat and lifted her off the ground. The sound of the blonde's tender flesh crackled in her metallic grip. The demon made a choking noise and grabbed at his throat. Lady Fowler moved to be right in front of her mother and released the blonde and smiled, "Penelope… remove the arrow."

Penelope rubbed at her throat and looked at the golden shaft lodged deep in the wood with a sense of terror. Althea stepped forward, unthinkingly, and yelped, "THAT WOULD KILL HER!"

Onar leapt forward, his jaws wide open and aimed at Lady Fowler's back while Pryna flapped her wings hard and dove for the book. Onar hit a static web but it didn't stop him from taking in a deep breath and using his sonic scream. It made Penelope grab her ears and run off to the side, but Lordornia shifted an arm and grabbed the girl's arm to stop her from running.

Lady Fowler crossed her arms in front of her as the sonic blast tore at her clothing. Her eyes burned red and she flung her arms wide open and the nerk shot up and slammed into Pryna in mid flight. Before she had time to recover, a lash of water whipped out from around the gargantuan dragon beast and wrapped around the witch's throat. Wolowix's eyes burned as he slowly gripped his hand making the water obey his fury. Pryna and Onar recovered and the moment the nerk's feet hit the ground… he was charging forward… teeth bared.

Althea made her way through the chaos of conflict to the demon trying to force his weakened form off the floor. She could feel all the Loa spirits warning her to not to get so close, but she HAD to act quickly or Penelope would be killed by the magnitude of Bifrons's power.

The demon, whose sigil they had summoned upon the arrow to trap the witch in the tree, was not the most powerful but his curses were devastating. Althea knew of the _Savagala_ curse from dealing with the Ghede Loa. The demons of this world were mere whispers in the ears of the spirits, but that didn't mean that they were ignorant to their existence. Bifron's curse could be simply described as the 'Instant Death' curse. Once initiated, there were only two creatures on the plains of life that could remove it safely… and that was either the man who placed the curse or the demon upon whom created the curse. Everyone else… they would be undead in manner of milliseconds.

She moved to the demon's side and spoke with no fear in her voice, "I know you're still in there, Sheldor… grandson of Melinda… your woman NEEDS you… or she will surely die."

The demon's claws raked into the stone wall as he pushed himself off and looked the Haitian in the eyes with his dripping, crimson red stare. He laughed with his jagged shark-teeth wide open. He pushed himself completely off the wall and squared up to the woman. He easily loomed over her with his tall form and snarled, **"That woman's life is of NO CONCERN of mine. The boy has given in… I am the only one who remains."**

Althea, unfazed by the demon's efforts to intimidate her, scowled, "Very well… then who is it that I am addressing now?"

The beast smiled horridly as his voice seemed to crack and gurgle through Sheldor's own vocal chords, **"I am Khimero, the demon of Death and Disorder. I am doubt… consequence… tragedy… failure… inevitability… I. AM. THE. END."**

She shook her head and spoke with her eyes narrowed, "If that woman over there dies… YOU go with her. You really will be 'The End'."

The demon snarls and looks over at the tree's grip on the blonde's arm and looks down at his own. He could feel the pressure on his arm as the Haitian speaks again, "You are connected by a powerful spell that not even GOD himself could remove. The only way to save yourself is to kill the witch that placed the spell upon the two of you."

* * *

Bazinga Sheldor backed off and looked over at the blonde woman. He snarled as he felt the human inside of him struggling to move him forward. This… this human… he was becoming harder and harder to control all because of this blonde. He would find a way to kill this woman… but first… he needed to kill the witch. His eyes fell to the woman with the lower part of her face missing and grinned. With a slight twitch of his snake tail, the demon was gone in a blur. Althea closed her eyes tight as she cursed herself for being a part of this ridiculous plan.

The multi-fleshed patched dragon finally moved. It had stayed perfectly still as if waiting for something to happen. Its eyeless head tilted down and could sense the blackened pressure of the demon's movement. With one lunge of its batwing front leg it moved to loom over the sycamore tree and waited.

Pryna, in her full Roc form, stabbed madly at the static shield surrounding her brother's cursed form. Her eagle calls seeming to not reach to him. She saw the dragon creature rise up on its back legs and sweep its massive wings around the entire cave leaving everything to go black.

Only the golden shaft of the arrow and the steady glow of Rakooth up above gave off light. Bazinga Sheldor ended his shadow jump right in front of the two witches and Penelope. He could feel something building and he looked at the half faced witch. Her eyes smiled and she spoke, "So… you can feel it. I have been planning this for YEARS. I gathered every last piece year after year. In order to enter into the Cave of Magic… one must bring the heart of a simple man… the skin of every essence… and the knowledge of the land. Faisal is covered in the flesh of every kind of creature of the land. Rakooth is the book of knowledge… and that leaves the heart! YOUR heart." A tiny blue energy pulsed from Penelope's chest and she lets out a scream. Lady Fowler smile and snapped her fingers and Rakooth burst into flames high above them all. His flames ignited the dragon and everyone was surrounded by a dome of fire.

Lady Fowler turned her head and her eyes blazed yellow, "Remove the arrow."

Penelope's eyes glowed yellow as the tree removed its grip. She mindlessly reached up and grabbed the golden rod. The screams of her friends went unheard as her fingers grasped around it. The sudden grip of the demon's hand upon hers snapped her out of her trance. Where their skin met… there was a pulse of blue. She looked up and was jolted into shock as she was met with the blue eyes she knew so well. He was so sad… for what, she wasn't quite sure, but she had a good notion it was about getting her into this mess. His voice was a mixture between his and some kind of big cat, **_"Let go… Let go of the arrow, Penelope. NOW!"_** She jumped but her grip didn't falter. She wanted to ask him so many things… wanted to just take him and run away from all this… tears fell as she stared at the desperation in his eyes. She whispered that she loved him and he shut his eyes tightly as he pleaded, **_"Please… Please just let go."_**

She slowly removed her hand and stepped to the side, not once taking her eyes off of his. She watched his pupils expand and engulf the entirety of his eyes and then go back to the crimson red, dripping eyes as he snarled and was forced to rip the arrow away. The moment the arrow left the bark, the tree morphed and climbed to encircle the flaming dome in a reflective red bubble and standing where the tree once stood was the Blood Witch herself… her smile turned into a cackle as she raised her hands and the red bubble burst and bled to the side revealing that they were no long in the castle…

* * *

Lady Fowler wrapped her arm around Penelope's neck and pressed her to her crumbling body and moved to her mother's side. Everyone else looked around at the red clay path and looked up at the sparkling black walls of a very large canyon. Lordornia looked at her daughter and smiled as they stood in the mouth of a cave resembling that of a distorted dragon's mouth. She flung her arm and Bazinga Sheldor went flying backwards and slammed into the canyon wall opposite of the mouth.

Wolowix spun around and stared at the gaping hole the demon was shoved into then looked back at the cave. His eyes picked up Rakooth falling and landing in front of the witches with a thump and closed tight. Wolowix placed his eyes back on Lordornia and popped his hand clinching his fists too tight. Before he could move, a treacherous sound rumbled towards them. Wolowix looked to his left and saw an armor plated fin slice against the red clay and dip back down into the ground, "Oh FRAKK!"

Lordornia laughed as she stepped toward the darkened mouth of the cave, "If the Sandwyrms don't kill you… I'll be waiting for you and your revenge deep within the cave… Goooood Luuuck." She stepped inside as Lady Fowler looked down at the rotted book. With a wave of her hand, Rakooth was ripped and formed back into his angelic form. He looked over himself and realized he was wearing the same thing he had on when he was changed then he looked over at the witch in confusion. She spoke quickly before turning and following her mother with Penelope still firmly gripped in the crook of her elbow, "Your services are no longer required."

Pryna swooped in and gave her brother a very big hug. He took in his sister with a relieved sigh as Bazinga Sheldor ripped from the wall and stood in the mouth of the cavern. His eyes were burning and his body expanded and grew until it was a roaring monster of his full Chimera form. Without a hesitation, the horned lion beast charged in with his cobra tail flailing behind it.

Althea groaned and shook her asson and a barrier surrounded the five remaining people. The Sandwyrms banged and scrapped against the bubble as Althea stood between the four. She swallowed and knew that something was about to happen and not a person on the plains of the living or dead could stop it. She looked at each of them and spoke, "I know you have no reason to trust me, but… I am speaking to you NOT as a witch's slave… but as a creature of magic like you all. Lady Fowler and her mother will call upon the legions of hell itself and they will try to destroy everything. There is no stopping the witches from doing this… they have Sheldor's heart and it will sate the Dragon of Life's hunger. The seal WILL be broken, but we must ready the world for the war."

Pryna pushed away from her brother's embrace but kept a hand on his shoulder as she peel off and looked towards the Haitian, "What are you saying? You're telling us that there is nothing to be done to save the world from the witch's wrath?"

Althea shook her head, "We can't defeat them, now… They have the upper hand… what I am saying to you is that we must be prepared for the battle at hand. Instead of charging into the cave… we need to 'round up the troops'. If what the spirits are telling me is true, there will be a moment of weakness coming soon. Onar… go to your pack and plead your case… enlist the wendigos and garms as well… The Garuda siblings… go to your Jhunda and inform them that even those of the sky will be slaughtered… enlist the help of any and all of your winged brethren. Innovagygr… any humanoids with any kind of magic ability… you and I will enlist their help. HURRY… Everyone… We don't have much time. I can estimate that we have 2 hours till they summon their armies… meet back at the castle. The location is upon Zarnek Mountain in the lowlands only a short distance from Penelope's village of Omashire! GO! We'll meet up there!"

The moment Althea let down the bubble, the two Garuda soared into the sky, Wolowix made the ground shoot Onar to the top of the canyon, and Althea grabs Wolowix's arm and they disappear just as 6, saw-bladed mouth, Sandwyrms dove from the ground and each missed and disappeared into the red clay.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

* * *

Chimera formed Sheldor raced into the cave. His mind was on one thing… the death of three women inside. He would kill the witches first then he would take his time and slowly peel the flesh off the blonde just to hear her and the foolish boy inside him scream.

The cavern seemed to be just the right size to fit the enormous Chimera. The path was lit with floating balls of fire in an exact amount of space between each of them and the ceiling seemed disappear into the shadows as the light couldn't quite touch it. The tunnel was long and perfectly straight. After what seemed like hours of running, the Chimera hadn't gone much of anywhere. Something was wrong and it was beginning to anger the beast.

Then, he caught it… the scent… the scent of fear and tree sap. The monster raced forward and finally saw a change in the path… lightlessness. The entire length of the darkened wall went from the cavern's ceiling straight down to the floor and showed nothing past it. The scents were gone but something itched at the beast and lifted up his massive paw and put it against the blackness. It sucked in the paw and wouldn't let it go.

The Chimera tried to yank his paw out but no amount of strength, fire, acid, or shadow fall would retrieve it. The moment he resigned his fight… the wall jerked him into it like a spoon slipping slowly into jello.

* * *

The Chimera was bubbled back into its original form but into a completely different realm. He stomped his huge body around to take in the strange surroundings. The sky was sherbet orange and there were three planets in the sky accompanied by an assembly of stars. One was gigantic and had half rings on the top side of the planet that looked like they were haunting the poor orb. The rings were nearly translucent but still easily visible. The planet, itself, was a light grey. Almost like the moon of Pasadenia, but less lit. The other two were small tan colored spheres that stood side-by-side underneath the ringed planet.

The terrain was MUCH more intriguing. He stood on the high arch of a marbled mountain top and he could see the expanse of the entire landscape. There were hundreds of ranges made up of sharpened, crystallized mountains. The mountains gave off strange lights of purples and reds across the horizon. The ground below was soft like a well maintained lawn but the colors resembled a clear, crystal granite.

The beast's ears shot forward as the sound of screaming filled the eerie silence of the place. He felt it… he felt her aura… the aura of the pure heart… and he snarled a smile as the cobra behind him hissed a little. With one foot launching off the rock, he dove off the soft, granite mountain and bolted towards where the blonde's aura was.

Penelope was staring down the mouth of a cave whose walls were slimy, jagged, and looked like it was moving in and out as if it were breathing. Lordornia stepped forward and yelled at the hole, _"Deliver me from the man of excellent intention and an impure heart for my wings are too heavy with imagination to soar past his fantasy."_

Penelope stared at the older woman's face and could see the once beautiful woman she used to be. Her brunette hair was long past her shoulders and was peppered with grey down from the roots to half way down the length. Her eyes were tired and stern and if this woman wasn't so ruthless and powerful… she might've mistaken her for a kind mother.

There was a huge rumble of the land and the squiggly cave's mouth snapped and filled with tiny yellow teeth and spiraled around the circular mouth. The ground around it raised and crumbled as a huge lamprey arched its slick body up in the air. It turned its right side of its body down and towards the three women where eight grassy green eyes with strangely oval black pupils and caused Penelope to scream. Lady Fowler's headlock gripped tighter and the blonde's scream choked back into her throat. The creepy creature rose back up to the sky then rushed into the ground leaving a tunnel glistened in gold. Lordornia moved into the hole and slipped into the darkness but before Lady Fowler could follow with Penelope in her grip… the red pelted Chimera roared loudly and springs from up above and lands with his paws on either side of the tunnel.

* * *

Lady Fowler backed up fast and narrowed her eyes. The Chimera slid his paw over the hole and snarled at the witch. He lifted his other paw and slammed it to the ground and a dark haze spread like smoke towards the two women. With her free hand, she swiped it in mid air and the demon's miasma vanished.

The Chimera snarled but the witch spoke with a condescending voice, "You are nothing more than a worm to my beak, DEMON. This is Lakshmi… the Land of Magic. Where magic is enhanced tenfold. FOR INSTANCE…" She waved her hand and the demon snarled in pain as he changed and ripped and molded back to his naked, human self again. He fell from a high point and fell to the ground on his side and rolled with his scarred back towards them.

"SHELDOR!" Penelope screamed, but the witch's metallic arm shut her up with another squeeze as she yanked them both into the tunnel.

Penelope's bare feet drug across the greasy tunnel floor as Lady Fowler kept her eyes to the entrance of the passageway as Lady Fowler's voice sounded angry and hurt, "Your _boy_friend doesn't know when to give up… DOES HE!"

As she said this, Bazinga Sheldor leapt into the golden traced tunnel with a snarl and he bolted towards them. Lady Fowler shot a bolt of green and it surged into the demon and lifted him off the ground. The witch's hand flexed wildly and the demon was sent flying backwards hard into the dip down from the entrance.

Penelope was dragged quickly through the darkened burrow until there was an eerie fade of white and gray light. They were out of the tunnel and she was spun around and her eyes went wide at the sight before her. There was an entire room of treasure and a path of green scales each traced with gold. The path was long and curvy and led to a small staircase that led to a long, tall mirror where Lordornia stood.

* * *

Lady Fowler pushed them both forward and she whispered harshly, "Do NOT touch a thing."

Penelope swallowed as they moved through the treasure. There were golden rings, coins, diamonds, rubies, crowns, statues, and she even managed to see a snowflake preserved into a clear salve. She obeyed the witch and kept her arms to her side, but her eyes wandered. Lordornia's voice carried harshly across the treasure room, "HURRY AMY! Bring her HERE!"

Lady Fowler pushed her harder, "Yes, Mother."

They didn't get two feet before Bazinga Sheldor slammed into the path before them. His hooves cracked at the scaled pathway and slowly raising up. His eyes were wild and black and bleeding while his tongue darted to the side, **"I wasn't quite done with you… Sweetheart!"**

He lunged forward and was stopped inches from Penelope's chest as a web of blue electricity form around them. Lady Fowler scowled, "But I was quite done with you… Lambchop!" The demon screamed as the energy leeched into him and encased him into a blue web of energy and it hardened. Demon Sheldor was now a statue and Lady Fowler pushed past them to round the path. They were on the first stair of 6 to get to the mirror when the demon began to sing, **"Tell me… WITCH… what would happen if I just… happen… to…"** The three women spun and looked at the demon with a golden beaker in his grip as he snarled, **"… Pick this up?"**

Lordornia squealed, "YOU FOOL!"

The scaled path began to wave and twitch as the mirror thinned into a popped bubble and was teleported somewhere else in the treasure room. Lordornia screamed her frustration at how close she was to the seal as a huge profile of a head with a feathery mane almost hiding a pair of twisted horns while waves of scaled tentacles streamed off the side of its mouth like a mustache began to rise up and pause just a bit off the ground. The burning orange and red eye flew open and a black slit focused on them. There was an ankh burned under the eye as the dragon's scaled brow narrowed in anger as a rippling growl began to build. The pupil's slit thickened and it launched its body high into the treasure room as it opened its long muzzle and let out a monstrous roar.

* * *

Althea and Wolowix stumbled from their teleport and looked around to see they were in his old village… there was an immediate sadness that plagued him and he let out a sigh. Althea shook her head, "I'm sorry… I know this place holds ill will for you, but the spirits wanted me to guide you here."

Wolowix wasn't stupid enough to say that spirits didn't exist… his wife was one before she gave it all up to marry him. He turned his head from the woman and missed her small smile as she took a few steps backwards. He bowed his head to mutter to his dead wife when a strange pale aqua marine glow caught his eyes and he looked straight up to see a group of ethereal women with wild hair that blew in the wind, but no wind was blowing. They were all unclothed and well endowed, but similarly intimidating. The taller, more muscular female spirit had the face of a deer's skull with a wild assortment of bends and curves of horns. She held a sword nearly the same length as she was and she pointed it towards him. He flinched at the ominous action but noticed the wild-haired ghouls moved to the side beside the deer skulled ghost.

A short female with wild blonde hair slipped out from the line of ghosts and stood before the deer skulled guardian. Wolowix's heart stopped beating and his breath hitched deep into his chest and he gasped to breathe.

"_Hello… Howardrick..."_

Wolowix couldn't stop the tears falling from his eyes as he stared at the ghost of his wife… no… not her ghost… she was back in her Dísir form, "Ber… Bernaquette... I… I…"

"_Shhhh…"_ She put her finger over her lips then smiled ever so sadly at the man,"_I'm so glad I get to see you again…I… I missed you so much."_

He threw his head into his hands and cried madly. He had been imagining and running through scenario after scenario in his head of what he'd say to her if he ever got to see her again… never did he imagine that it would actually happen. Yet, through all the planning in his head… all he could do was cry. What must she think of him… seeing him weep like a hysterical woman. He was broken… he was only half the man he could be.

He felt an ice cold feeling upon his hands that pressed to his face. The feeling shifted to the warmth of another's flesh and he could feel fingers slipping in the bends of his index and thumb. His hands were gently pulled from his face and he looked up to see Bernaquette only inches from him with her warmest smile. He sniffled and tried to look away, but she lifted her hand and cupped his cheek while wiping away his tears with her thumbs. He wanted to touch her… just one more time… but to touch a Dísir is considered a death penalty to any mortal; even consensually. He reveled in her touch by leaning into one of her hands for only a moment. He opened his eyes to stare into her ethereal glowing blue eyes and he licked his lips and spoke, "I have… I… I have plotted and planned EVERYTHING I have ever wanted to say to you if I ever saw you again… and… I can't think of a single one of them. Bernaquette… I… I love you… I will ALWAYS love you! I am… GOD… I am sorry I couldn't save you… that I couldn't avenge you… Please… please forgive me? Forgive me for my weakness… just… please… don't hate me. I couldn't take it if I knew that you hated me."

The Dísir shook her head and took his face into her hands, _"I could never hate you, Howie… NEVER! I love you… more than anything." _She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. It was a strong tingling as if his mouth had fallen asleep, but, much like her touch, there was also a heat there. He fought the urge to wrap her up in his arms as she kissed him more passionately. He felt warm drops upon his cheek as she pulled away. He didn't get to see her face as she spun and almost jogged back to the other Dísir. He stepped backwards, sadness hitting him hard, until he rejoined Althea's side. The Haitian placed a hand upon the innovagygr's shoulder then stepped forward and addressed the Dísir with the deer skull, "There is a battle coming upon this land and we wish for your aid within it. The witch who has been burning down your forests will be there… your revenge will be imminent."

The deer skulled ghost raised her sword and seemed to sheath it upon her back and stepped forward. She gave a curt nod to Althea then she turned and seemingly disappeared into the shadows. The other Dísir followed and left Bernaquette last. She turned to smile at Wolowix, sadly as she lipped out an 'I love you'. He took in a deep, painful breath and mouthed an 'I love you, too' before she was gone completely.

Althea took her hand off his shoulder and turned to head towards town, "Come, Howardrick… we have some humans to scavenge."

Wolowix stared at the spot that his wife once stood for a few more second before shaking himself out of his trance and followed after the Mambo.

* * *

The wind whistled and hissed into the nerk's ears as he galloped across the terrain. Through forests, small deserts, and puddle riddled grassland… he only stopped for an occasional hunt or biological need. His sprint soon turned into a mild jog as he came to where the flat lands tuned into foxtail infested plains. His ears flattened on his head as he took a big inhale through his nose… he lowered his head and trotted forward. The Hofkey territory… he was home… and he wasn't too thrilled about it.

He moved towards a knoll with six northern red oaks on top of it. A small cave could be seen and an enormous grey nerk lying on its belly right above it. Onar recognized the nerk right away… his brother Ekim. The black nerk groaned a guttural whimper as he saw his brother rise up then let out a few clicks and growls inside the cave. By the time he reached the knoll, the entire Hofkey pack was standing with their ears perking up and staring intently. A huge reddish brown wolf pushed through the pack and its piercing gray eyes found him. This wolf was taller than all of the rest hitting about 32 feet high where all the rest were close to 25 feet. This taller wolf… this looming red wolf was Ylreveb… his mother… and the alpha of the Hofkey pack.

She snarled and snapped at the nerks and they all moved forward to where the 15 something nerks circled around him. He stopped and spun around with his head and tail down showing his submissiveness. Ylreveb approached and met the black nerk at the center and his eyes flew down and he used his telepathy, **_"Greetings… mother."_**

She growled and snapped and he rolled onto his back to show his belly and shut his eyes tight at the sound. She used her tongue and teeth to speak in the Fang Language as she loomed over the black nerk, "_You will not speak unless spoken to… BOY. And you will leave that infernal inner-talking drivel for your useless humans. You have a lot of GALL coming back. Chose the human pack over your own and you believe that you would be accepted back without consequences… you were quite mistaken."_ Her jaws were wide open as she gave out a growling snap at the last of her sentence.

Onar flinched and folded his paws across his chest, while still on his back, and lifted his hind quarters with his tail tucked in. He showed ultimate submission and his mother accepted it with a snort and allowed the black nerk to stand. Still, he showed submission with his tail low and beside his leg and his ears folded down and tried again, **_"Please… please mother… I didn't come here for forgiveness or to be accepted back into the pack. The witches… they…"_**

Ylreveb snarled viciously with her ears slanted against her head and she snapped her jaws inches from his muzzle, but Onar didn't flinch. For the first time in his life… he didn't flinch or pee himself at the show of dominance. He watched his mother's eyes nearly glow a dangerous yellow as she roared with the fang language, _"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK OUT OF LINE! YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO EVEN SPEAK IN OUR PRESENCE! NOW GO! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" _She spun and dipped into the cave with her tail up in the air and frizzled.

* * *

Onar watched the wolves around him flow back to the knoll's cave after his mother. There were two arguments running through his mind. One was yelling at him to let them die while the other screamed for him to stand up and speak! He let out a burst of air through his nose and turned around with his dejected body language. He took two steps before he stopped and raised his head high and his tail followed suit. With a deep rumble in his throat, he spun around and let out a wolven scream then began to speak the Fang Language loudly as his tongue and teeth would permit, _"YOU DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN, BUT I HAVE TO TALK! THE WITCHES ARE AFTER THE SEAL OF MAGIC! THEY WILL SEND AN ARMY OF THE UNDEAD…"_ He trotted back as close to the knoll as he felt safe to do and spoke normally,_ "This army will be unstoppable… not even THIS PACK could defeat them, but… I still seek your help, Mother… Brothers… SISTERS… PLEASE… I know I am no longer considered a part of this pack… I know you only see me as the runt and the useless little welp you have ALWAYS seen me as but… I beg you… for the sake of survival… for the sake of YOUR OWN LIVES… FIGHT! Fight with me! PLEASE!"_

His brother was the only nerk left standing there as the rest just went back into the hole. Ekim stared at him darkened eyes much like his own and jogged out to meet him. Ekim was shorter than their mother, but still towered over Onar. The gray nerk bent down and bumped the side of Onar's face with his own as he spoke telepathically, **_"You have changed so much, Onie… You are so much stronger than you were before you left. Is that because of the humans… or because you left the pack? They won't listen to you… even though they hear you… but I'll tell you this… the Hofkey pack will fight."_**

Onar and Ekim were never really close nor were they rivals… they were just two nerks within a pack. At this very moment… Onar realized that his brother was much more. That Ekim was just a brother wanting his sibling to be better… to NOT be some weak little Omega, but to rise above the hierarchy and become the nerk that Onar deserved to be. Onar's tail wagged just a little bit as he stood up on his back legs and licked at his brother's snout. Ekim put his paw on top of his brother's head and pushed him down. With his brother's paw still on top of Onar's head, he looked up with one eye as his tail continued to wag then he spoke to him with telepathy, **_"Thank you, brother! There is a village known as Omashire … that is where we meet. In an hour… the armies will be summoned. I have until then to get the wendigos and the garms aid."_**

Ekim took off his paw and looked down at Onar's body language. It was taut and confidant, but he knew that the other two wolven creatures were known for their vicious natures. The garms were ghost dogs. They were monsters that fed on the flesh and fear of weary travelers. They were easily seen for when their presence were near… there would be a strike of black lightning, even if the sky were clear. They hunted in packs, but used one as a distraction… their victims would be running from THAT one and right into the jaws of the entire pack. Then there were the wendigos. They were still considered part of the wolven family, even though they stood on two legs and resembled the human form more than the wolven. They were isolated creatures and fed on ANYTHING. The one attribute that set the apart from the other wolven clans was that they ate of their own kind… cannibals. There were only two times a wendigo would see another without trying to eat them… one was mating and the other was declaring war. Wendios were warriors, strong, standing 7 foot tall, able to use and build weapons or tools to hunt, even able to set traps. They were terrifying!

Ekim shook his head and looked back at the knoll. He turned back to his brother and spoke to him telepathically so as the others didn't hear their interaction, **_"You need to seek out Hetja. He is the Ancian of the wendigo clan. That means… he's the Elder… the one who can call upon all of them for the act of war. Do NOT look Hetja in the eye… he'll take that as a challenge and pretty much eat you! You want his help… just mention Lordornia… she took one of his eyes and he's still pretty sour over it. As for the garms… don't worry about them. I will seek out Ghaiscíoch the Ahaon of the pack. I've dealt with them before and they owe me one." _**Ekim looked down at his brother and let out a dramatically loud sigh, **_"Be careful… bro!"_**

Onar wagged his tail as he looked up at his brother, **_"I will… thank you, Ekim. Thank you."_** He turned and ran past the knoll at full speed towards the snowy mountain scenery. His brother watching him run with his tail flagged in the air ticking and tocking behind him.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

* * *

The room that was filled with treasure and jewelry began to phase and boil into a menacing blob of melted gold. The gelatinous beads seemed to 'crawl' back into the Chinese dragon's body. Every gold coin, scepter, statue, and gem were being absorbed but the room was beginning to become a torrent of chaotic waves of molten bullion. Lordornia waved her arm in an arch and the three women were surrounded by a red ball of energy as Bazinga Sheldor's form was left leaping and blasting his way through the tsunami of plunder. Eventually, the last ounce of the melted treasure had filled into the dragon and made it completely whole. The tip of its tail finally formed and left the dragon circling itself around the huge room and an eerie white glow in the middle of the dragon's forehead. The mirror to the seal had become a part of the dragon as the four remaining objects in the room looked up at the monster.

The dragon was a long thick ribbon of green scales and waves of golden fur down the center of its back. It had one pair of arms close to the head, but the rest of the body seemed to float as it slithered slowly in mid air. The orange and red tinted eyes burned within the empty space as a rumble of growls built up in its throat as its golden furred mustache twitched and flowed all on its own.

Demon Sheldor's cloven hooves clopped upon the ground of the empty room as he approached the three women. The red energy bubble had subsided and he found that his time to strike was now. Just as he was about to charge, a golden energy lit up the room and a powerful force surrounded all four and they were lurched into the air. Their bodies were traced with golden energy and every one of their curses and spells were ripped off them. Lady Fowler's Pembe curse was gone and she was just a regular looking woman… Sheldor's demon form melted off him as he was his human self again with no scar on his back and a fresh beating heart in his chest… Penelope seemed to beam with color and looked like a brand new person with no scar on her chest and no infertility curse upon her belly… Lordornia was a monstrous old woman who looked to be about to crumble into dust. They all looked at themselves as they floated and looked around at each other. Water and Earth met as Sheldor's eyes found Penelope's, but their moment wouldn't last long as a booming voice filled the empty space.

**_I AM OUROBOROS THE DRAGON OF LIFE AND GUARDIAN OF THE SEAL OF MAGIC. MORTALS OF THE TIME STREAM… WHY HAVE YOU COME?_**

Lordornia's old, sawdusted voice spoke nonsense, _"The tongue has the holds of life and death. It seeks out truth and power, and make mortals fall to their knees. The tongue play tricks. The tongue tells stories. The tongue lies and cheats and steals. There is nothing more unreliable… than the tongue. __**CADAT AD PEDES MEOS, DRACO!**__"_

The dragon's body went rigid and its jaws shut tight. The colors of the dragon went completely red and the dragon's body fell to the floor making a perfect circle around the four bodies. The golden aura that entangled the four erupted and they all shifted back to their old selves. Sheldor's body was immediately covered in blackness and before his feet hit the ground, he was in his Bazinga form again. When the dragon's head hit the ground in a massive quake, the mirror embedded in its head pulsed white. Lordornia gave a big smile and grabbed Penelope's arm in her vicious grasp and started to drag her up the dragon's head while Lady Fowler followed suit.

* * *

Demon Sheldor's form leapt and landed right in front of the mirror with a snarl. Lordornia furrowed her brow at the demon, "I've had quite enough out of you, you little bastard." Her eyes burned red and the dragon's right arm shot out and got a horrendous grip upon the blackened demon. It ripped him away and slammed him down under the massive claws. The dragon's fingers bulldozed their way into the ground to make sure the demon had no room to move. Demon Sheldor struggled and looked over at the witch standing in front of the mirror and tightening her grip on the blonde's arm with no regards of her pain. Penelope cried out and the mirror pulsed. The pulse of white turned into a ghostly white smoke that wisped violently and seemed to reach into the blonde's chest. Penelope's body jerked and Lordornia was pushed back harshly by an unseen force. Penelope's body went completely limp and her body bent into a lifeless, floating form right before the mirror. Suddenly, a green flaming ball was ripped out of her body and her lifeless corpse dropped and rolled down the muzzle of the dragon until it hit the floor, cold and limp then flashed blue and was gone.

That set off something inside the demon that began to bubble and rage inside him. As the mirror began to shatter and crunch inside itself while being consumed by a green flame, Demon Sheldor's body burst into a haze of that soon engulfed the entire room. It washed all over the dragon, over the two witch's feet, but couldn't do anything but swirl around the bottom where the mirror was on fire.

Lordornia and Lady Fowler jumped off where the dragon's snout was and they both stared wide eyed at the point of the miasma. Lordornia cursed under her breath as she felt the power of the demon raise higher than she could handle. As Sheldor's full demon form of the Chimera roared and erupted from the black mass, Lordornia desperately looked at the green flame and the new form of the mirror and snatched it. She smiled so darkly as she side stepped and looked at the Chimera beast. She held up a jagged glass tiara that was burning a green flame and laughed loudly, "You're too late… You didn't save the girl… You didn't save the dragon… and you sure as hell didn't save yourself." She put the tiara on her head and her eyes went wide as her body froze.

The Chimera gave a grumbling laugh through its massive fangs, **"YOU WITCHES… ALWAYS SO COCKY…"**

Lordornia looked down at her feet and grit her teeth. The blackened miasma had swirled around her legs and seemingly entered into her flesh. A new power that the demon just learned she surmised by the weakened hold it had. She had the seal of magic in her hands… its power was overwhelming and she needed it. She gave a smile and her eyes flowed red. Within a few moments, the dragon's body stirred and ripped out of the miasma and spiraled until its body was in front of the Chimera. The dragon's red body shimmered a slight gold and the haze all but dissipated.

Lordorina urged the dragon forward and the two enormous creatures collided with tooth and claw. Life and Death… Good and Evil… Yin and Yang… The power that emitted was breathtaking. Ouroboros ensnared the Chimera with constriction as the massive paws of the Chimera sliced at the dragon's armored throat. Fire and acid and lightning and shadows all cascaded in the little room but Lordorina would not leave until she saw the Chimera in the grips of Life's jaws.

The cobra tail sunk its poisoned fangs into the dragon's tail making it lift its chin up in a roar of pain. The Chimera took no hesitation and embraced around the length of the dragon's neck and pulled it to him to sink his massive teeth into the flesh. The moment the teeth hit the flesh, a spark of gold electrified the Chimera and the dragon recovered and pushed the demon with its only pair of arms just far enough to get its massive jaws free enough to bit at the Chimera's throat. Once its colossal jaws had a hold of the beast… its claws ripped at his back and the dragon's elongated body constricted to a dangerous pressure. The Chimera's body popped and cracked as a deadly gurgle escaped its lips.

With that, Lordornia grabbed her daughter's hand and placed the tiara upon her head. The power surged within her and she smiled at the death of the Chimera before a green flame sent the two witches swirling within flame and vanishing from the sealed room.

* * *

Althea stood outside the newly renovated Nailao Torta Fabrik pub as Wolowix went inside to talk with Wesley Wheaton and a few other humans. She felt a sudden jolt in her chest and she gasped loudly. She clutched her chest as the spirits spoke of Penelope's death. Althea found tears rolling down her cheek for the loss of the sweet girl but she stopped as the blonde's energy returned. It was faint, but it was there. She smiled as she felt the fairy's energy and knew the girl would be just fine.

Within a few moments the sky let out a thunderous protest and the blue of the sky was overcome with red. The Loa spirits began to jumble their thoughts into the Mambo's head and she knew… the war was about to begin. She took out her asson and gripped it tightly as people were beginning to notice the terrifyingly red sky. Soon, Wolowix and Wesley stepped out with a bunch of big, burly men behind them and everyone was staring up. Wolowix shook his head, "We're too late."

Althea shook her head, "No… we're just in time. Quickly… if you have a horse; get on it! We need to go! Omashire isn't too far of a ride if we take the enchanted path."

The men nodded and went into action. Althea swallowed harshly and shook her asson to gather the Loa spirits. She was going to need them… ALL of them. The witch's power was monumental and the only creature who could kill her now… his aura just vanished.

* * *

Onar and, the one eyed wendigo, Hetja stopped their conversation and stared up as the crash of thunder filled the air around them and the sky bled red all. They both looked up in terror. Onar growled under his breath as the aura of the witch filled his senses. Hetja, who had been calling the nerk an idiot for the past few minutes, suddenly looked at the black nerk and used his fang language to explain that he'll have the wendigos gathered in thirty minutes. Onar told him where to meet and he raced down the mountain as the wave of blood continued to take over the blue sky.

* * *

Ekim had the entire Ahaon pack of garms surrounding him and yapping in fang language. Ekim was snapping and growling when the rumble in the sky made the small ghost dogs whimper worriedly. The wave of red in the sky passed by them and took over the blue sky. The wolven creatures stared in horror up in horror as the garms began to bark and howl into the air. Ekim let out a low growl form in his throat as his eyes began to glow gold. He could feel it… he could feel the power of the witches and it was far too strong.

* * *

Ylreveb and the Hofkey pack were in midst of a hunt. They had a herd of white buffalo trampling across the plains. The reddish-brown nerk stood on top of a small mountain wall where they had their prey galloping towards. The four other nerks at her side waited in professional patience while watching the pure white buffalo being herded towards them. Ylreveb felt a jolt in her chest and every inch of fur stood up on her body. Before she could react any further, the sky boomed above them and red filled the sky.

The whole herd of white buffalo stopped dead in their tracks as the biggest of them all took a few steps away from the herd and looked up into the blood sky. The nerkanines stopped to stared and began clicking and whimpering to the others. The huge white buffalo snorted then turned its thick neck and bayed at its herd. The buffalo were stampeding away as Ylreveb gathered the pack at the base of the wall. She could sense the power and she narrowed her eyes. Something was coming… And no one was going to stop it.

* * *

Penelope's eyes fluttered open softly and she was greeted by a leaf canopy. She felt so heavy… so undeniably weak… and she ran through what memory she had. Her arm flew up on her face like a limp noodle and she cried.

"You shouldn't move so much, Penny."

That voice… Stephinaria. She turned to see her fairy friend and immediately frowned. She looked bruised and beaten. The scene behind her wasn't any prettier. There were limp fairies being gurneyed with sticks and leaves or by random bugs or lizards. Penelope sat up, painfully, as her eyes took in all the carnage, "What… what happened?"

Stephinaria sighed as she held her bandaged arm wrapped in aloe, "The witch's army attacked our core, but we managed to fight them off… but not without a multitude of casualties against us. We lost a lot of comrades… but those who are left are building their strength…" The fairy bent her head down and sobbed and Penelope knew… the king… her father… he was one of the ones who didn't make it.

Penelope went to the fairy woman and put her cold hand upon the fairy's warm shoulder, "I… I'm so sorry Steph…"

The fairy shook her head and sniffled, "No… No… don't go blaming yourself Penny… We know who's to blame and we are getting our forces together. We'll be helping your friends to fight against the witches. There aren't many of us left, but… we're not going down without a fight! Now… you rest… by the time you wake up… we'll be in Omashire. We have called upon the creatures of the forest to assist us. The fauns, satyrs, centaurs, and nymphs agreed to fight with us, but many of the shape-shifters have already fled underground. There is a small possibility that any of us are going to make it, but we creatures of the wood… we're stubborn… we won't go down without a fight!"

Penelope gave a sad smile to that as Stephinaria blew a mist of purple upon her face. Penelope immediately black out but not before a buildup of saddened tears leaked down her cheek.

* * *

Pryna and Rajesh stood before the Pahale of the Jhunda flock of their Garuda family. They were upon their floating fortress far above any mountain could reach. The entire flock were gathered within an outdoor coliseum with the clouds and sky easily seen above them. The Pahale's thrones sat at one of the points of the oval shaped dome with the male's throne nearly taking up the entire space. Their parents, the Dusara, were standing to the side of the Pahale and gripping each other's hands as Pryna and Rajesh speak of their travels in the center of the entire coliseum.

The male Pahale, a rather large, burly man with dark skin and livid eyes named Saahasika, was the only one not whimpering, whispering, or jerking from the horrid tales of the demon and the witches. He sat in his golden chair etched in the tales of Vishnu and Garuda and looked concerned and angry. When the two children spoke of the seal of magic and how the witches opened the Dragon's Cave… Saahasika pushed off his chair in rage, "ENOUGH! Enough of this. You have returned with only stories and no proof. The land dwellers… they have poisoned your minds with frivolous nonsense. Return to your father's side at once and NEVER speak of this again." Pryna went to argue, but the Pahale glared and Pryna's head bowed low.

Saahasika returned to his chair in the midst of the silence, but never got to turn and sit for a voice climbed loudly and echoed upon the enormity of the dome, "You can't keep closing your eyes to this! This doesn't just concern the land dwellers… LORDORNIA AND AMELIA ARE TRYING TO DESTROY THIS LAND AND REBUILD IT IN THEIR IMAGE! Do you think they'll spare us? Do you think they'll just happen to 'miss us' all the way up here? The land… the sea… the AIR… they are all in danger! WE. MUST. FIGHT. If we don't… If we just leave it up to the land dwellers… then we will perish!"

Pryna stared at her brother's posture as he had taken a few steps towards the Pahale. Rajesh's face was twisted in anger at the blatant disregard for him and his sister, "I have seen the power that these witches possess… YOU KEEP HIDING ON YOUR CLOUDS AND YOU'LL BE THE FIRST TO FALL! I AM FIGHTING! I am fighting whether you accept that or not! Mommy… Daddy… I'm sorry…"

Saahasika's massive hands crackled the golden arm rest in his hands before he spun and stared at the boy below. He could see the warrior in his eyes and the Pahale narrowed his eyes, "You insubordinate little CHICK… how dare you speak out of turn." He snapped his fingers and two armored men flew and gripped Rajesh's arms as the Pahale continued, "Chain him upon the pillar of Bajali… let his tongue run dry."

Before the guards could pull him away… the fortress was hit violently with a tremor of pure power. The Jhunda flock all screamed and seemed to look everywhere in confusion. The tint of red filled the arena and all eyes went up to watch the blue sky fill with blood. The screams and panic erupted and the Garuda all flew in the air to escape the dome. Saahasika's mate stood beside him as they both looked up in horror.

Rajesh yanked his arms out of the guards grip and jogged a little bit closer to the stairs leading up to the Pahale. He stopped and yelled loudly, "DO YOU SEE? DO YOU SEE HOW THEIR EVIL REACHES EVEN US? QUICKLY! WE NEED TO GATHER THE WINGED CREATURES… WE NEED TO FIGHT OR SIT HERE AND DIE!"

Saahasika looked down at Rajesh with a cold stare and nodded. He turned to an older Garuda that held a rashinga horn that was a long tube like trumpet that swept along the ground, "Cetavaani… send the call!"

The old Garuda, whose wings were speckled with grey, lifted the mouth piece of the horn to his lips ever so slowly. He took a dramatically deep breath then blew. The first time was a honking noise that made everyone cover their ears from the noise. The Pahale rolled his eyes as the old man cleared his throat and tried again. The song ran out like an amplified hum as Saahasika stepped forward and let his voice ring out, "WE FIGHT! AND VISHNU BE WITH THOSE WHO DARE FIGHT AGAINST US!"

The Garuda who hovered above gave out a battle cry as they thrust their hands into the air. Rajesh turned to look at Pryna with a sad knowing look. She gave a small nod as the two stretched their wings and ripped into the sky. They slipped out of the arena and across the fortress's beauty. They found the edge and dipped down towards the land and made their way towards Omashire… their flock reading for battle.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

* * *

_Omashire… _

_The name meaning Dwellers of Land… _

_The first settlement in the Midwest of Pasadenia that incorporated all walks of life in harmony. Forest dwellers, magic and non-magic using humans, mythical and non-mythical animals, and even phantoms all living in one of the largest cities of Pasadenia. Farmers, black smiths, politicians, bounty hunters, and all other types of jobs were easily found in and on the outskirts of the city. Omashire has boomed and bustled its way into one of the epitome of what other towns wished to be._

* * *

A male centaur pays a woman for his apple that was selling fruit on the side of the bustling streets of Omashire. There is store after store, side by side all throughout the town. A faun playing his piccolo on the corner plays happy music as humans, half-human animals, ghosts, and monsters harmoniously shop the small bizarre. The chocolate palomino paint centaur's hooves clop against the cobblestone as he takes a bite out of his apple. With a smile, he gladly wipes the juice running down his chin as his pale honey tail whips at his sides. A crash from up above shakes the beast to stand firm and stare up at the sky. As the wave of red carpets the sky, the piccolo music stops and the centaur's apple hits the ground.

There is mass panic as people start grabbing their children or gathering their things and running back into their homes. A single man with a large, modern day axe upon his back sat confidently upon a 17 point white stag that is barely anything but a white blur. The beast's speed is unmatched as it bounds and leaps side to side until it was clear of the masses. Its graceful swiftness takes it toward a cliff on the outskirts of town. The white stag slows and finally stops to stand upon the rocky edge of the cliff to look out from the clearing towards the Misseri River. A man sweeps his leg over the large beast's back to put two worn boots upon the ground. He circles to the front of the stag and grabs the reins under its chin. With the other hand, he throws the hood off his head then the tall cover over his face to reveal an older man with a small bit of black hair on top and speckled grey hair on the sides. His face was covered in scars from horrendous burns. His brown eyes narrowed and he placed a stern look upon his scarred face. His eyes reflect the red glow and green fire off in the distance of the Fowler's castle being rebuilt on the banks of other side of Misseri.

A huge grizzly bear grunts and runs up behind the older man. The stag honks and tries to get away, but the older man holds on and jerks the reins down to get the stag's attention. The beast calms as the grizzly bear soon shifts into another older gentleman. He had all his hair shaven off the top of his head but his beard and mustache were short and salt and peppered bits of black and gray. He was older, but his body structure was strong and proud. His eyes were a darker blue and his face was just as stern at the first gentlemen.

The bear man spoke first was a deep manly voice that fit his bear persona perfectly, "Governor Wyatt… the people of the village have gathered at town hall… they're demanding a conference, immediately."

Wyatt gave a sigh and looked back at the castle, "Mr. Rostenkowski… we're going to need to do more than gather… the witches have returned and they're more powerful than I've ever felt them to be. I… I can't even feel my daughter's aura anymore. Gather as many men as you can… I have a feeling that a battle is just around the corner."

Wyatt heard Rostenkowski grunt a 'Yes Sir' before shift back to his grizzly form and running back towards town. Wyatt's jaws clenched and unclenched again and again as he tried to seek out his daughter's aura. It was the only way he could really 'see' his daughter… what after the witches taking her away from them and setting his family AND his farm afire. He was the unlucky one… the one who actually survived. He had to sit through his wife's, daughter's, and son's funeral while wrapped up like some cartoon mummy. He made a name for himself by keeping peace and order within the chaotic town of Omashire… the town in the shadows of the Fowler's castle.

He shook his head… he didn't need OR want to go through his memories right now… he needed to stay focused. The witches were building an army… he could feel them rising and he knew he needed to put his people first. He mounted his white stag and gripped the reins. He used his right hand and slipped his index in between the two reins to hold in with one hand. The stag was neck-reining trained and Wyatt moved his hand to the left to where the leather rein pressed against the stag's neck. The stag side stepped to the left and Wyatt urged the stag on with a little kick to the side as he clicked his tongue against his teeth. The stag lurched forward and bounded towards the village.

* * *

Lady Fowler stood in the room that had housed Rakooth and just stood staring at the mantle. Her Pembe curse had been lifted and she was her full human self again. Her long brunette hair curtained her face as her saddened blue eyes watered. She didn't miss the book… She DIDN'T! She had her mother back… she had her power… she had the whole world at her feet… she didn't miss some stupid talking book. She pounded her fist into podium and it trickled down into a mound of granddaddy longlegs and they all scattered.

The loneliness… it was something she truly never had to deal with. Even when her mother was melded to the tree… she had Althea, Rakooth, and Penelope. Now… she stood alone. Her mother was far too consumed with power… she ALWAYS was. How can a woman who loved her so much… make her feel so empty inside? She clenched her hands into tight fists and tears escaped.

She shook her head and wiped her tears angrily… NO! She wasn't going to be the weak little girl she once was. She was a witch… she was a monster… she would become the nightmares of all those who survived their onslaught. Her eyes began to glow and smoke a hazardous green and she spun 180 degrees while waving her right hand. The room burst into green flames and transformed the small space into a lab full of large shelves and long tables. There were potions and jars full of exotic ingredients slammed full upon each shelf. The walls were covered in diagrams of human and creature anatomy with pressure points, muscle and bone structures, and organ placement all over them. Books and scrolls scattered all over the tables with a huge kettle in the center where a fire pit was dipped into the solid stone flooring.

She walked to the far back where light seemed to try to escape. There was a creepy rickety shelving that held body parts of random creatures including the head of her father and the fetus of a monkey. This was where she used her necromancy and the Ghede Loa summoning. She moved to a single scroll and pulled it out from in between a half rotted boar skull and the tip of Cthulhu's tentacle (that was still twitching like a worm). She gripped the scroll tightly and she raised her head high. Green flame engulfed her and she disappeared in puff of smoke.

* * *

Lordornia stood in the center of the castle where her tree once stood. The little landing was now surrounded by a deep, brooding hole with magma boiling and shooting up trying to escape. With the tiara firmly upon her skull, she gripped a vile corked and handing on a small chain in her hand… a vile of filled with blood. She stared at the magma below with anger still fervent in her eyes.

Lady Fowler flashed and appeared behind her and Lordornia snapped out of her vengeful stare. She moved her head slightly and spoke, "Did you bring the scroll of Verrijzenis?"

"Yes, Mother." Lady Fowler brought the scroll to her mother and the witch nearly snatched it out of her hands

The Blood Witch smiled evilly as she held up the vile and the scroll side by side, "Your aunt's blood and the scroll of resurrection… mixed with my unstoppable power… we won't be calling upon the dead, my sweet daughter..." She set the vile and scroll on fire within her grasp and clapped her hands together. It transformed into a skull with horns cascading from the above the eye sockets and backwards. The upper canines were huge and long as the human skull looked more reptilian. Lordornia held up the skull and smiled, "Dear Sister… Come and give me your Kin!" She tossed the skull into the lake of lava below, "RISE MY CLAN OF DRAGONS! FEAST UPON THE FLESH OF MY ENEMIES AND SET THIS WORLD… AFLAME!"

Lady Fowler took a few steps back as the lava seemed to shoot up. Each stem of magma erupted into a winged, reptilian monster that found their way to the edge of the tunnel leading up and out of the castle. More and more dragons erupted until they entire tunnel was overrun. The magma, then, began to arch out towards where the witches stood and huge, four long-legged, armored dragons morphed from the lava. Wave after wave of dragons came and filled up around the two witches.

* * *

There was a rush of orange and yellow as a strange formed dragon shot out of the lava. Lady Fowler could see her mother smiling and she took in a deep breath. Leslitico Winklivre, the Dragon Child, was her aunt, but truth be told… Leslitico was absolutely horrid… especially to her. Leslitico saw her as some mistake that needed to be rectified and constantly asked her mother why she hadn't 'disposed of her yet'. Lady Fowler hated her aunt… so it was only natural that she'd recognize the scaly bitch when she saw her. The dragon that landed on the landing right in front of her mother, set aflame and shifted into her human form. Shoulder length dark hair, black body suit with brown shoulder pads that had porcupine quills with rough and tussled fur out the back. She had metallic shin guards with a talon like spur on the back of the boots. She had tanned hide wrapped around her wrists with bone rings that covered her middle fingers with a sharpened tip on the ends. Her face was full of arrogance as she smiled and shared a hug with her sister; narrowing her eyes at Lady Fowler within the embrace, "I see you haven't disposed of that little whelp, yet. She is nothing but a burden to you, sister. If she were mine…"

Lady Fowler snarled, "If it wasn't for ME… you'd still be a paper weight holding down my magic spells on my desk… so SHUT YOUR HOLE!"

Leslitico stood shocked that the girl talked back. Her eyes began to glow yellow as a rumbling growl built in her chest. Suddenly, Lordornia shot her hand and it crackled against her sister's chest, "Dear sister, I brought you back for a reason… not for you to insult my daughter. I have given you an army…" Lordornia spun her sister and showed her the hundreds of dragons and counting, "… an ENDLESS army I should add… I wish for you to set this world ABLAZE!"

Leslitico gave a smile and looked over at her sister, "I can do that, but… there is one man I would like to sink my teeth into first. Sir DUMBASS…"

Lady Fowler interrupted, "… he's already dead. Ouroboros took care of him."

Leslitico spun to look at the girl then back to her sister who confirmed with a nod. The Dragon Child cursed and stomped her foot, "Damn… alright… guess it's back to the fun, then?" She stepped forward and let out a shrilling cackle and the dragon's with wings took off and headed up the tower. Leslitico ran and dove off while falling to the lava. One of the dragons swooped and caught her and headed to the sky.

Lordornia eyes flashed red and she smiled darkly, "Amelia, dear, we seem to have guests surrounding our castle." She waves her arm in the opening and an image of people from the Omashire village took precise points from around the castle and began to chant. Lordornia's laugh rang out, "How cute… they are trying to nullify my magic... I guess we'll have to teach them a lesson." Her eyes burned red and she snapped her fingers. Suddenly, the ground around the castle turned to quicksand and began to suck in all the villagers just as the dragons flocked from overhead.

* * *

Wyatt groaned as he looked up then grabbed a rope from his saddle bag upon his white stag. He threw the rope out and began pulling his town's folk out. He couldn't save them all… he saw a few of their heads going deep into the sand and he began to yell for help. It was then that the earth seemed to explode and spit them out one-by-one. Then, a woman with a rattle and a man in a long tan trench coat jumped in and started helping as well. Wyatt turned to see a man with a bowl haircut with his hands glowing blue as he concentrated on where each individual were then shot them up and out of the devouring ground. Wyatt gave a smile and kicked his stag on and began using his rope to pull out a few more before everyone was safe.

Wolowix looked at the white stag with a strange look then up at the scarred man's face, "Everyone ok?"

Wyatt looked around and spoke with a slight Mid-Western tone, "Thanks to you… uhh…"

Wolowix walked up to the side of the stag and lifted his hand, "Howardrick… Howardrick Wolowix. I'm an innovagygr. This is Althea and Wesley Wheaton. We've come for the party the witches are about to throw."

Wyatt swallowed as he followed the three people's gaze up into the dragon infested skies. The castle seemed to shake and crumble as a hole formed in the side where they all stood. Althea's eyes went wide then Wyatt's white stag grunted and began to get antsy. Two huge armored dragons with horns that seemed to crisscross across their faces stomped to the edge of the hole and let out a honking roar. He grabbed the reins and turned to his people and screamed, "FALL BACK! FALL BACK NOW!" His stag took off just as Althea, Wesley, and Wolowix cursed and dodged the stream of fire that exploded out just in the nick of time. The two dragons stomped their feet and charged out. An army of stampeding dragons discharged from the hole. The creatures spat and sprayed everything with flame as they thundered forward towards the village.

* * *

Wolowix and Wesley took off towards the village, too… making sure they stayed clear of the dragon's fire. Althea stared up at the top of the castle and gripped her asson tight before moving forward. She came to a small thorny bush and she whispered a few little incantations and the bush reversed and shrunk into a small dandelion and revealed a small door. Althea looked around for a moment before sliding into the door and into the castle.

Penelope woke to an odd sense of rocking. She opened her eyes and saw blurs of trees passing by in unbelievable speed. She pushed herself up to see that she was on top of a huge creature made up of twisted roots, vines, and branches. It was in the shape of a very tall elephant and it was easily moving through a thick forest. She looked over the side to see centaurs, fauns, minotaurs, nymphs, fairies (in balls of light streaming like bugs), and all kinds of forest dwelling animals pushing forward. Penelope groaned and stretched before standing up on the sturdy beast under her feet and seeing where they were headed. She clenched her fists at the sight of the witch's castle and creatures flooding out of it.

"Dragons."

Penelope pursed her lips and let out a sigh. She looked up and was shocked AND relieved to see winged creatures of all kinds filling the air above them. She gave a sad smile and looked to her right. Past the tree line to where there were grassy hills she could see what looked like a pack of dogs racing to the same place as they were.

There was a sudden uproar that brought the speed of all the creatures up a notch. Penelope had to sit and hang on as the elephant she was on raised its trunk and began charging forward. She moved to where she was behind the creature's head and close to its ear, "Before you do that, may I get down… I have a problem with HEEEEEEIIIIIGGGHHHTTTSSS." As she asked, the trunk shaped twist of branches came up and encircled around her waist and placed her on the ground, gently.

She stood on the forest floor, stunned, just as it charged forward. When she shook out of it, she yelled a 'Thank You' before looked towards the village. Her eyes narrowed and she looked down at her attire. She was still in her white dress, but she had a thick camo jacket on. She gave a pretty big smile at what was in the jacket's pockets. She was still barefooted and it almost stopped her from attempting what she was about to do. She bent down, ripped the skirt of her dress to where it safely above the knee and she took off running. She flung the white fabric behind her and it flagged and fluttered all the way down.

Her speed hadn't changed a bit as she breezed past centaurs like they were little fat kids running track. She leapt up and bounced off trees and buried rocks until the two was in full view. She could see smoke and a blaze flicker up in the air. She was just about to run towards it when the buildings before her began to collapse and she had to move to dodge the debris.

A clan of armored dragons came bustling through their demolishing and charged forward. Before Penelope could reach into her pockets deadly accurate arrows came flying in and hit every vulnerable spot the dragons had. Penelope shook her head at how easily the centaurs had killed the 7 beasts… with only 8 arrows. The extra was from a filly just learning how to shoot, but it was lodged into one of the dragon's eye balls, so… not a complete waste of a shot. Penelope shook her head and careened forward as more dragons came and more arrows answered.

She headed towards the castle and could see it clearly until one of the winged dragons, that looked fairly young since it wasn't as big as a normal dragon, swooped down and attempted to grab a human child that had fallen. "Oh God." she muttered as she grabbed at her pockets and took out a few Blossom stars and ran full blast towards the scene. Penelope screamed to get the dragon's attention and it worked. The dragon was in one place, flapping its wings, looking towards Penelope just as she threw her Blossoms. They hit vital points of the wings and the beast let out a shrill of pain and collapsed upon the cobblestone below.

* * *

The mother of the child snatched her 'baby' up and took off running. The small dragon was still a pretty sizable opponent, especially against her 5'5" frame. The dragon walked with its wings as front legs as its powerful back legs pushed its body off the ground. The creature stood 7 foot off the ground. Its face was looked as if it were covered in small, tiny teeth that formed an intricate pattern all over its body. Its tail was three times longer than its body and had webbing connected to its back legs. At the end of the tail was a barb of longer, teeth like bone that would resemble spikes from far away.

Penelope swallowed and knew that her measly little Blossoms weren't going to do any kind of damage against this monstrosity. The dragon hopped on the fold of its wings then let out a very thunderous roar that made her flinch. It lurched forward, but a white creature zoomed in between them causing the dragon to last backwards. Just as it did the white stag kicked out both of its back legs and kicked the dragon right on the kisser just as the stag's rider came down with an axe right into the beast's skull. With a very sickening crack of bone, brain, and metal colliding… the dragon fell and the axe still lodged into its brain.

The rider hopped off and patted his steed's chest while retrieving his weapon. The old man turned around with a smile and started to speak, "Are you alright, mi…. ss" His jaw goes completely loose as he stares.

Penelope smiles and nods, "Yes sir… thank you."

Without skipping a beat, Penelope gives the old man a smile and speeds off towards the castle. Wyatt stares off after the sprinting blonde and nearly sheds tears that, one: his daughter didn't recognize him and two: she was fighting against the witches. The last time he saw Penelope, they had a big fight about her not being able to go on a trail ride with her friends. He was more than confident that his daughter could ride her chestnut mare, Daisy, but he wasn't prepared to allow his youngest to go out so close to nightfall by herself. His answer was no and she stormed up the stairs and slammed her room screaming that she hated him. It was the last memory he had before the horde of orcs rushed into their home with Lordornia and her daughter close behind them. He remembered fire and pain and the screams of his wife… Wyatt lets out a painful sigh as he shakes off the gore from his axe and gets back up upon his stag. His eyes burn with tears as he whispers softly, "My little Slugger… all grown up."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

* * *

Wolowix and Wesley were throwing all kinds of spells and sending dragons falling to their knees, but they just kept coming. Wolowix shot a few thick shards of rock into the air and took out just a few of the dragons that were blocking the red sky. He shook his head and lost focus for a few seconds and Wesley screamed his name, but it was too late. One of the armored dragons opened its jaw and let out a blast of fire. Wolowix had no time to conjure anything but a blur zipped towards him and tackled him out of the way. They both rolled into the ground hard and when they recovered, Wolowix waved his hand and a spike raised from the ground and pierced through the fire to jab into the back of the dragon's skull.

Wolowix looked at the person in on top of him, in his arms and his eyes went wide with shock and relief, "Penelope…"

Before either could share any more pleasantries, one of the dragons raised its massive foot and intended on stomping them both. Wolowix waved his arms and clapped his hands over them and a thick cocoon of earth surrounded them just in time to take in the crunching pressure of the mammoth foot. Penelope gave a slight scream as Wolowix made sure to keep full focus on the barrier. Sweat slipped down his temple as the pressure got heavier. If he made a move that would mean his focus would be off the barrier and they'd both be crushed. Suddenly, the pressure was gone and there was a cluster of action happening.

Wolowix dropped the barrier and saw nerkanines jumping over the small hole where the dragon's pressure had created against Wolowix's power. He looked over to see the dragon in the trunk of a very large elephant made of trees as the huge nerks teamed up to attack individual dragons. Penelope yelled a thank you to the beast and she looked over at the innovagygr. They shared a smile and moved to get up as Wesley got to them and offered him his hand and introducing himself as the handsome witch hunter and Penelope smiling as saying she already has one. Centaurs, Dísir, and wendigos took to the stage of battle all around the three. Before questions could be asked, she was off on a run to where the forest dwellers were trying to close the gaping hole of the castle.

* * *

There was a clash of screams and roars from up above and Onar stopped in mid run. The entire 200 something wendigos kept running forward just a few miles from the castle. Onar saw Garuda tearing through the fire that the dragons of the air spat with their talons and colliding with the airborne reptiles. There were flying centaurs, hippogriffs, Pegasus, harpies, rainbow serpents, flying whales, and all other random types of flying creatures all battling the dragons in the air… and winning. Dragons were dropping like dead flies, but more and more were coming. He growled a little and thought to himself that they needed to destroy the castle… plug the hole to stop the dragons from pumping out.

He heard the battle cry of the wendigo, far ahead of him now, and shook his head. He was about ready to sprint forward when he heard the howls of nerkanines behind him. He spun and his ears were full erect as he listened intently. He heard it again… as clear as day… his mother's howl followed by the rest of his pack. His tail wagged slowly as he panted happily. He shook out of his premature joy and spun around to catch up with the wendigos.

As Onar climbed over one of the hills and began to sprint down, he heard yelping and barking in the wind. His bad eye sight didn't seem to catch anything, but his nose caught a familiar scent. All too suddenly, he had ghost dogs all around him running in a perfect line on either side of him. He baulked a little, but only long enough for his brother, Ekim, to catch up to him. The grey nerk towered easily above Onar, but they kept the same pace. Ekim snapped his jaws and used his tongue in the Fang Language towards Onar, _"Looks like they started the shindig a little early. What do you say we see if we can't find us a witch to huff and puff and bite some flesh off?"_

Onar gave a snarling smile to that idea and they both rushed off, unable to shake the line of garm on either side of them. They could see the wendigo jumping and clubbing some of the armored dragons, already, and that gave the two nerks all the incentive to head towards the castle.

* * *

Althea needed no light to make her way through the labyrinth of the dungeons. She had practically lived in them. She kept her hand on the right handed side of the wall and dragged it down while moving forward. She couldn't believe how empty the dungeons were. There were no moans of pain or screams for help… just the sound of a drop of water periodically falling from ceiling.

She finally found her way out of the maze just as the path finally cleared and bright torches lit the tunnel from both sides all the way down till the tunnel wall takes a sharp turn. Althea took her hand off the wall and walked towards the tunnel only to trip over something bulky laying across the floor. She rubs her knees and looks back at the mound of dead Skaldjilk. They looked like they had been ripped open and piled up to clean up later. The Mambo swallowed before pushing herself up. The stinging of her scrapped knees wasn't easily ignored, but she managed to do it while moving forward in the tunnel. She had a very bad feeling and it wasn't because of the witches, anymore.

* * *

Rajesh and Pryna swoop down in the full roc form towards the makeshift drawbridge that led to no type of door in the castle… other than the gaping holes… there really wasn't a door to the castle. Before the two hit, they decelerate by throwing out their wingspans wide and flapping largely forward. In doing this, their bodies begin to shrink and shift until they were back to their angelic forms and on their feet looking around. Winged centaurs (who were shunned out of the non-winged centaur herds because of their 'malformations' but who still possessed endless knowledge and lethal accuracy of their non-winged counterparts), hippogriffs, and many other winged animals landed not too far from them and spread out to form an attack while the larger winged creatures stayed in the air to deal with the dragon onslaught.

Pryna played her flute and a huge rock monster appeared out of nowhere and made a charge towards the castle. Rajesh saw a white stag dart off towards the side of the castle from a distance away and squinted his eyes to get a better vision. A Garuda's eyesight could be considered a superpower from how sharp and long distanced they could see. He could see all types of creatures attacking and got the attention of his sister, whose rock monster was doing no kind of damage to the front of the castle, and they both soared low towards the turbulence and both recognized Wolowix. They landed just in time to see a blur of blonde zoom into the opening of the crumbling hole that the forest creatures were demolishing and heard Wolowix scream, "PENELOPE!"

* * *

Penelope raced through the darkness with her unbelievable speed. Even barefooted, she had no equal match as she hopped upon the wall and on top of the armored dragon's backs. She used the creatures like stepping stones and headed towards a soft, orange glow. She could feel it… she could feel the pulsing aura… the same aura that was inside of her chest… Sheldor's heart… except this pulsing was so much stronger and so much darker than the sweet fluttering it was when it belonged to her. She kept going forward… the dumb reptiles below her none the wiser of her presence.

She could see the faint glow getting larger as she approached a gaping cavern opening but she could also feel the blaring heat. It was a little too intense for her, but she was on a mission… a mission for her revenge. Her heart had 'expelled' the curses so now she was her own woman. The witches had no hold over her and so she decided to fight tooth and nail. The backs of the dragons were nearly endless, but since the hole was closed up… they had become a cancerous mass of buildup. The dragons were clustered tightly and they were beginning to lose their temper. Penelope had to dodge a few blasts of flame by shifting her body left or right with the tips of her toes.

When she finally reached the opening, she jumped to the far left to where there was a clearing that was hidden in long, teeth like rocks. Her bare feet slapped against the smooth rock below and she puts her hand against the jagged wall and moves. The light of the lava flickered in between the gaps of the toothy formation as she in a crouched position. She could see the backs of the two witches and she paused and went to a knee and stared from one of the gaps. She could only hear the echo of their voices but couldn't tell what they were saying.

A burst of air hit Penelope as the sound of flapping wings filled her ears as she turned around slowly. She was met with a dragon's clicks and snorts as a dark haired woman jumped down and flung her hair over her shoulder. Penelope recognized the woman and her breath hitched… the Dragon Child… but she… she was… dead, "Impossible!"

Leslitico scoffed as her boots crunched against the earth, "I knew I recognized your little aura. I might not be able to get that little Sheldor… but I sure as Hell can rip apart his precious little Baby Doll! Not the same, but… it'll make me feel better."

* * *

Penelope reached into her jacket pocket and clenched a Blossom in her hand. When Leslitico took a step, she didn't hesitate… she flung the Blossom hard and accurately enough that it spun in the air like a Frisbee and curved to embed itself right into the witch's right eye. She screamed a monster's scream and Penelope took off running as fast as her feet would let her. The dragon behind the squirming witch gave out a blaring roar then let out a burst of menacing flames towards the fleeing blonde. She could almost feel the fingers of the heat at her back when she ducked behind a large boulder and the flames danced all around it.

Lordornia and Lady Fowler spun at the outburst just as Leslitico finally yanked the Blossom star out of her eye. The two witches burst into green flames and they were gone from the cliff. Leslitico's eye did not regenerate. It was the powerful curse upon the Blossom that left the Dragon Child with anger and resentment as she lashed out a purple whip of energy and cut off the dragon's head beside her. Her screams of rage filling the cave with echoes of cussing and roaring. The moment the head fell to the ground, Leslitico's eye burned yellow and her body began to crack and pop and sizzle as her flesh melted and her body grew in mass. Penelope watched the witch shift and knew she was in big trouble.

Leslitico's dragon form was twice as large as the winged dragons erupting from the lava. She had a honey oak color to her scales that seemed to shine a luminous yellow at certain angles. There was a jagged row of curled horns upon her upper lip that trailed down the side where they got smaller until the pattern dissolved at the juncture of the two lips. There were two sets of horns upon the dragon's head. One pair, the thickest and in the center of the top of the head, curled back then circled forward in a menacing angle. The other pair, above the ear hole on the side of the head, just stemmed straight out like a sharp stake about 15 foot long. The back leg's muscles resembled that of frog's legs. They were bowed down low and the knee jutted out to the side, but they looked powerful. The witch's wingspan was nearly three times her body's length as she let out a roar and they folded behind her. One of her clawed hands came up and caressed her missing eye. Her five fingered hand, with sharpened talons curled from the tips, scratched down her scaled face and traced over the deepened scar running horizontally down her sunken in eye socket. She had three pairs of powerful arms and she used them to tear at the ground as she grunted and stomped and shot bolts of lightning singeing the top of the cavernous locale.

Penelope guarded her face as debris bounced against her tender flesh as the ground quaked below her feet. She barely dodged to the side as a long tail with a heavy knot on the end of it came whistling down to smash her. She screamed and yelped as the dragon lunged at her with nothing but mouth. She used her agility to bounce of the wall and soar in the air for too long. Though Leslitico smashed into the cave wall, she recovered and swatted one of her hands out and backhanded Penelope. Her body flailed towards the cliff and over it before a blur of white buzzed by. The white stag slid to a stop backwards as its head faced towards the dragon. Wyatt had his arm firmly wrapped around his daughter's waist and dropped her softly when the stag finally came to a halt.

* * *

The stag trotted forward as Wyatt unsheathed his axe from his back. Leslitico gave a chest shaking roar and the white stag head banged and snorted. Penelope held her side as it throbbed from the strike and watched as Wyatt held out his axe. The blade seemed to fluctuate between different colors that looked so familiar. She took one of her Blossom's out of her pocket and stared at it then back at the axe blade. Impossible. The energies were the same… and surged at the same time. This material, Camdeleon, was only forged by her family and the secret of creating it died with her father. The metallic plastic like substance held the ability of nullifying regeneration even when pulled out. Every place it hit, the more the magic the matter absorbed. In essence, Camdeleon took a little piece of life every time it struck. The only reminisce that this ever existed WAS her Blossoms. Melting down Camdeleon was like lighting a fuse to a bomb. There was a harsh explosion anytime someone tried to 'observe' the material's origins.

No other creature on this universe could have possibly found a way to create more… yet, there it was… on the end of that axe… and Penelope felt a tightness in her stomach. Before she could act on it, however, Leslitico let out a sharp, thick bolt straight towards the stag. The white stag's 17 point rack begins to glow and it stomps its two front hooves on the ground and the lightning refracted all around the cave as a shield of light curved before it. The bolts takes out a handful of winged dragons still rising from the lava had turned them into dust. Wyatt grips the stag's side with his knees as the beast digs into the ground with its hooves and shoots towards the dragon's head in a burst of white. Its speed turns them into a white, electric fire ball that slams into Leslitico's jaw and sends her flying backwards into the wall as the stag drops to the ground gracefully. The debris of the smashed wall collapses upon the land dragons and kills a cluster of them.

The stag bounds back to Penelope and Wyatt dismounts and goes to the blonde. Penelope is on one knee holding her side, but truth be told… she's more concerned with the Camdeleon than her broken ribs. Wyatt places a hand on her shoulder and Penelope shrugs it off, "Who… who the hell ARE YOU and how did you get Camdeleon?" She said through gritted teeth from pain.

Wyatt looked up to see the huge dragon recovering then looks back down at his daughter with his damaged, burnt up face and speaks quickly, "This is no time to explain this… we are in big trouble. SNOWBALL!" He screamed the stag's name as another bolt was sent their way. The stag's horns pulsed and it scattered the bolt into a plethora of different directions. Wyatt grabbed his axe as Penelope shook her head as she painfully stood, "Snowball?"

Wyatt smiled very sadly as tested the weight of his axe and the air within the cavern, "My youngest daughter named him a long long time ago… I thought it fit him perfectly. I would feel much better if you were to mount him. Your injuries are slowing both you and I down. Please." He looked over at his daughter with a genuine smile. She remembered telling everyone about the scared white stag of her village… her family had owned one and seeing a dead one only reminded her of… of… she stared at the intricate design of the bridal and gasped as she saw her name burned into the leather. Her O was a bloomed flower and her letters were shaky and inexperienced. She looked up as the man did a crow-hop and tossed the axe over his head. The Camdeleon-made axe blade gleamed as the entire weapon spun around and zoomed toward the dragon. As Leslitico was recovering from shooting out failed lightning, the axe's blade took out her other eye and embedded itself deeply. With a shrill of pain and frustration, Leslitico thrashed blindly… killing more armored dragons in the process.

* * *

Penelope groaned as she pulled herself upon the white stag. She took a few minutes to recover from the shooting pain. She kept staring at the design of the bridal and her eyes began to burn in confusion. Who was this man… if he were a friend of the family then why didn't she remember him? She took the reins in her right hand and tightened them just enough between her fingers. She looked up to see Leslitico charging forward. On instinct, the stag moved on his own and bounded to the side. Penelope squealed a little, more from the pain than the sudden movement. She looked down at the saddle and smiled. It was jinxed to never allow the ride to fall off unless he/she wanted to. That was the jinx her mother put on every one of HER saddles.

Penelope watched the man dodge attacks left and right as he moved to a high platform and dove onto the dragon's back. Leslitico bucked and jumped and rolled, but the man wasn't coming off. He crawled and got the dragon's eye and callously ripped it out of her flesh. As the dragon raised up high and grabbed at the source of the pain, Wyatt slid down her back and rolled when he hit the ground. It took him a while longer to regain his balance, but he charged back in and started to chop at the dragon's powerful legs. The blows were horrific and the noises the dragon made echoed painfully in the cavern.

The old man was quick. He would chop and move and the retaliations were sloppy. He chopped at her belly, her legs, her sides, and even her snout when she dared to try to bite and each was a devastating blow. They bled and wouldn't close because of the curse within the blade. Little by little, Leslitico got weaker and weaker. Penelope could see fatigue setting in on the old man, too. He looked over at her with a scarred up smile and nodded his head and she screamed at the top of her lungs to 'LOOK OUT' but it was too late. One of the dragon's hands swept behind him and pushed him a few feet before the hand seemed to realize it had something and clamped around him just as his axe clanged upon the ground.

Wyatt groaned in pain as the fingers tightened around him menacingly. He could feel and hear his bones cracking from the restriction. He noticed that Leslitico was now standing at the cliff's edge as she brought him up to the side of her muzzle. Wyatt wasn't going to be eaten by this heartless witch… not in front of his daughter. He closed his eyes tight and began to glow. Suddenly, the axe rattled on the ground, then shot up and spun in a dangerous speed. It whistled loudly and zoomed past the dragon's throat, cutting it like a saw blade, then shot up into the air right above the dragon's head… paused… then struck down with the power of magic and gravity to slam into the skull of the dragon. It penetrated the hide and rooted itself into the brain matter. He was loosened from the dragon's grip and he fell to the ground hard. He didn't want to lose his axe, but he really didn't want this dragon to live either, "Snowball… Hut!"

Penelope watched the ears of the stag fly forward and he took a few steps. She felt a power surging all around her and before she knew it… the stag was a comet shooting right at the woozy dragon. The searing white ball of energy slammed right into the side of Leslitico and the beast stutter stepped right off the edge of the cliff. The wings tried to flap, but the Blossoms that Penelope had thrown before had torn the muscles and made it impossible to regain flight. Leslitico tried to grab at the sides, but the talons just scraped the rock. Her roaring screams turned human just as she hit the lava's surface and was melted into the magma below. A burst of purple energy surged up just as the surface of the magma pool began to harden and go black leaving only her human arm rising from the concrete below. The purple energy sought out every last dragon and turned it into ash all over the land and air. Leslitico's arm turned to ash and collapsed into a breeze of dust.

* * *

Wyatt dusted himself off and went to Snowball and stroked his old companion's swirl of fur just below his horns while he grabbed the reins under his chin. He looked up at the blonde and then back to Snowball, "Your name... it's Penelope, isn't it? You were born here in Omashire and your family were burned to death by the witches… correct?"

She nodded her head in disbelief, "Who are you, really?"

"My name is Simon Wyatt Queen… I lost my wife and my two kids to a fire… and my other daughter to a witch."

Penelope shook her head, "W… what? D… Dad… DAD?"

She didn't even register the pain as she slid off the stag and slammed into her father's embrace. She recognized his scent immediately and cried into his trench-coat… she had seen enough proof… she had her father back. He pushed her off gently and cupped her face, "You are just as beautiful as your mother… guess I can't call you Slugger anymore, can I?"

Penelope sniffled and gave a chuckle, "Why not… I still pack a pretty good punch."

He kissed her forehead and pulled back again to look in her eyes, "I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry I had to give you up. I wanted to fight for you, but… I didn't want anyone to die… if I would've known she was going to burn us all… I would've fought tooth and nail for you. Can… can you ever forgive your old man?"

Penelope opened her mouth to answer… blood splattered all over her face and a shiny metallic hand shimmered of light and blood had gone right through Wyatt's chest. The hand slid out and Wyatt fell dead to the ground leaving Lady Fowler standing forebodingly in his place. Lordornia manifested at the cliff and looked back at them with burning red eyes. Lady Fowler smiled, "I WAS going to thank him for getting rid of that useless reptile, but then he had to go and get MUSHY on me. Penelope… I thought you and I were Besties… why are you trying to stop us?"

Despite the pain in her side, she reached into her pocket and gripped more Blossoms. They would never run out as long as she needed them. Her father put THAT jinx on them. Her eyes watered at that thought and rage took over, "You stole my heart… you killed my family… and you took away the only person I ever loved… SCREW YOU! SNOWBALL, HUT!"

Penelope moved just in time as the blurry white ball came charging in and crashed into Lady Fowler. She was knocked backwards and slid at her mother's feet. The stag bellowed loudly as Penelope joined his side and couldn't help but stare down at her father's corpse. She brought the Blossoms out of her pocket and hurled them and Lordornia, but something was wrong… something was changing.

* * *

Lordornia's crown began to crack and grow then it finally stopped and Lordornia began to laugh hysterically, "FINALLY… Finally… The magic seal… is MINE!" She raised her hand and a red mist lashed out of her finger tips and seeped into Snowball. Penelope limped away and watched in horror as the stag thrashed about in mid air and the white color fading to brown. The mist seemed to go violent as it pulsed and began to eat the flesh off the creature's bones.

Penelope's eyes watered and she shut them tight as the stag shrilled in pain, "Stop it… STOP IT! OH GOD, STOP IT!"

The mist released the stag and his fleshed out corpse hit the ground right beside her father and Penelope broke down and cried. She cried for help… she cried that someone would come and help her…

Lordornia just laughed, "No one's going to save you… No one is STRONG enough to save you. But I'm feeling generous… I think I'll let you finally join your family."

She raised her glowing red hand at Penelope and jerked it to release the power just as Lady Fowler stood and glared at the blonde. Before the mist could discharge, a black hazy shadow crashed down from up above and stood up in between Penelope and the witches. Penelope felt a thrumming deep in her chest and she had to clutch it from the intensity. It was as if she regained another heart. The creature was smoking a black wisp that made it hard to make out who or what the creature was. There was a deep, throaty laugh that cleared through the cave. It raised its smoky arm and a searing black energy surrounded the crown on top of Lordornia's head. With that… the witch gritted her teeth and began to muffle her scream in pain and the red mist seemed to disappear. She unclenched her jaws and shrieked as she threw her hands up at the base of the crown and put a charge of red to give her momentum to remove the crown. Lady Fowler backed up and stared at the slimy black creature and tried to throw a spell at it. It simply didn't reach the creature as it faded into a weak bolt of green.

* * *

Lordornia stared in horror at the creature as she struggled to remove the crystal crown. The blackened creature's arm twisted in mid air and the headdress suddenly went a bright white light. A Chinese style dragon appeared and swooped around in a circle until it bit its own tail. The dragon soon became a ring of gold and Móshù appeared in Chinese within the center before it collected into a small sphere of gold and shattered before teleporting in a flashed spark. Lordornia's anger blinded her as she patted her head and realized her achievement was gone. All the while, Penelope's chest burned green still in her clutches. she muffled her screams as she fell to one knee... her ribs healing little by little.

Lordornia snarled and engulfed the unknown entity in a red mist. That mist agitated and pulsed but nothing seemed to be happening. The witch pointed out both of her hands and made a 'crushing' gesture with her hands and screamed out when nothing occurred, "This is completely IMPOSSIBLE!"

The blackened form's smoke began to clear and the body seemed to be taking shape. A very familiar voice filled the cave with echoes of a snarky, bass filled articulation, **"Nothing is impossible... What I think you meant to say was, 'this is completely improbable'. Take for example… I am of existence therefore I cannot be impossible. **Glowing, crimson red eyes burned from the black mass as sharpened white shark-tooth smile formed menacingly. As the oozing shell formed more and more as the creature spoke again, **"Ouroboros has been defeated… and as such he and the seal have been moved to a different location. Out of your incapable hands. You had your chance to tap into endless power, but you wasted it on trying to revive your useless sister… who was killed by a mortal and his albino deer… now… I've finally caught up with you... I HAVE FINALLY CAUGHT UP WITH YOU, YOU MURDEROUS OLD HAG! **

Bazinga Sheldor's form ripped from the oozing shell and roared as the miasma popped and cracked and molded his hooves, his snake tail, and his ram horns until he was the tall monster they had remembered. Penelope gasped as the green flames subsided. she got back to her feet just as Lady Fowler gave a scream and fell to her knees as she cupped her face in pure agony. Lordornia kept her eyes on demon Sheldor but was at her daughter's side and spoke with anger still present in her voice, "Amelia… what's happened?"

Lady Fowler's hands shook as she removed them from her face to show that the Pembe curse had returned. Lordornia's eyes widened just as the sound of animalistic squealing and shrieking filled the cave. Lordornia looked over her shoulder with wide eyes as she saw the armored dragons beginning to melt into hardened black soot. The flying dragons did the same in mid flight towards the opening of the tower above. Lordornia's rage hit her eyes as she took a few steps forward glowing red, "I might not have the seal, but that doesn't mean I am powerless…"

Bazinga Sheldor's tail wagged in a serpentine wave as he snarled towards the witch and Penelope covered her mouth in utter shock. She felt absolutely nothing human at all coming from the demon before her that would signify that this was ever Sheldor. He was nothing but a monster and knew that upon having to take the life of such a powerful creature such as Ouroboros; he had to withdraw every ounce of his humanity. Sheldor gave up everything… everything just to be at this moment… to be only inches from killing the witches… he was full demon now and she knew she couldn't do anything to bring him back. The tears that she cried at that moment were the most painful that she ever shed. All the hope of ever being with the witch hunter had just plummeted from her cheek and splattered upon the ground.

Lordornia raised her left hand and it pulsed a dangerous red as she snarled and spat out an incantation. Her focus was full of rage and pure malice as the power built and grew into a ball of red, poisonous energy that she pointed at the demon before her, but before she could release the force from her fingertips… Onar's blackened form sprang from the darkness with his ivory white teeth and fury leading the charge. He clamped his jaws upon the witch's forearm and the energy bubble fizzed out as the witch's scream filled the cave.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

* * *

There was a thundering throb that seemed to radiate from the walls of the castle outside. All the warriors who came to battle watched as dragon after dragon burst into clouds of ash. Pryna and Rajesh looked to one another in confusion as they stood at the crumbled up hole that the armored dragons were piling out of then stared up at the sky. The flood of red was now filtering back to the regular blue color as the winged dragons all but poofed out of existence.

There was a sudden build of cheering from all around as creature after creature began to celebrate their very quick victory. Pryna looked at Rajesh while he was staring straight up the castle, watching gargoyle and shards of roof fall to the ground below. Bit by bit, the castle was falling apart. The magic from the seal was beginning to dissipate and almost collapse upon its self. Windows shattered as bricks crumbled. Rajesh stepped back and let his wingspan out as far as it would go and he launched himself upwards until he landed on the tip top of the castle and sees that the way is blocked. Pryna lands just beside him and looks down, "They will be alright, brother."

Rajesh doesn't look at his sister as he lets out a sigh, "It is not them I am worried about. I can feel their magic dwindling… I can feel…" he looked at his sister with hurt eyes, "… I can feel her pain and fear."

* * *

Penelope stared as chunks of boulders began to fall and crash into the cliffs or plummet down to the blackened sea of dried up lava. The witch's screams filled the cave as a black ooze began to flow from Bazinga Sheldor's feet. Penelope backed away trying to avoid the hazy blanket. Her back hit something soft and Penelope looked back to see Althea. The black woman swept her arms around Penelope and pulled her away from the sudden outburst of activity. Onar's growls and jerks seemed to render the witch powerless. Every time she tried to move her hand or begin chanting an incantation, Onar would use his bite to sling the witch and break her concentration.

Althea pulled Penelope to the middle of the tunnel and shook her rattle. A barrier stopped the creeping ooze and she pulled the blonde closer to her, "An lo cheve, something is very wrong. The magic… it's being drained."

Penelope looked back at the entrance of the tunnel and could hear a clash and sparks of light. Althea began to drag Penelope deeper into the tunnel without looking back once, "Ouroboros is a vengeful creature. He is lashing out at the witches by slowly devouring their magic. Soon… they will be no more than human beings. We must leave."

Penelope stopped dead, "Why?"

Althea looked at her with conviction, "He's not your boy anymore, an lo cheve… He is a DEMON. He will kill you. We must go… while he is still preoccupied with the witches."

Penelope shook her head, "I… I… I met my father. You said that my family was dead… YOU SAID they were dead. I watched my father DIE… AGAIN… I will NOT run! I will fight… This is not about Sheldor anymore… this is about ME! YOU'RE the coward, Althea… You are!" Penelope spun and ran back; her ankles buried in the dark fog. Althea gripped her asson and closed her eyes tight then turned her back and moved forward.

* * *

When Penelope returned, her eyes widened at the sight of Onar's body being flung her way. She dove to the side and rolled just as Onar's body hit the rock. Flashes of blue caught her eye as she saw Wolowix flipping his hands around making shards of rock spring from the ground below him and shooting towards Lordornia. Penelope stood up and dusted herself off as she stared at the clashing of Bazinga Sheldor and Lady Fowler in mid air. An arrow flung across the cave and struck right in front Lordornia then exploded sending small rocks of debris banging against the witch's face. Penelope traced back to where the arrow came from and saw a man in a long tan trench coat run in her direction.

The man leaned down on his knee with a crossbow in his hand, "Hello Blond and Beautiful… Remember me?"

Penelope looked down at his hand and shook it, "Of course… Wesley, right? Could you do me a favor?"

The rugged, scruffy beard made him quite good looking, but Penelope's tastes in men had changed drastically over the last few months. Wesley's grin made Penelope want to slap the smug look off his face as he spoke, "Anything for you, gorgeous."

She put on a smile and stepped to him to where her hands were splayed over his chest. He gave a very erotic grin as her hands wandered downwards. She kept her hands on his body as she bent down right in front of him. Her fingers gripped at the top of his thighs as she got on her knees and looked up at him with a big smile, "Take off your shoes."

Wesley, still grinning like a fool, sat down on the ground before her and yanked off his boots. He put them to the side and licked his lips and spoke with a sexy voice, "Now what?"

Penelope gave a huge grin, "You can get the hell out of here… the people outside need your help. Thanks Sweetie." She moved fast and put on his boots. They were a little big, but they would help with the sharpened rocks in the room. She slapped her ripped brim of her dress to dust off and looked down at the shell shocked witch hunter. She smiled again and found the crossbow beside him. She took a small step, kicked up the crossbow with her newly pointed boots, caught the crossbow, and took a shot at the witch who had Wolowix's throat in her grasp. The arrow hit the witch in the belly and the pain caused her to throw the innovagygr from her grip. Penelope tossed the crossbow back into Wesley's lap and she smiled at him, "You are a doll… Now get out!" She bolted off with her hand pulling out her never-ending Blossoms in her hand.

* * *

Onar, seeing the witch bend over and cry out in pain, lunged from the side with his teeth bared. The witch barely dodged in time with a stumble, but gripped her hand as a weakened red aura engulfed him and began tearing at his fur then tossed the nerk high in the air. While the nerk battled with gravity with a roar of pain up above, Wolowix wiped the blood from his mouth and sent a scorpion made of rock towards the witch. Though it was obvious that the witch was losing power, she was still strong enough to block and lash out. The arrow was doing its part in weakening the witch too.

Penelope threw her four Blossoms towards the occupied witch as she was fighting off the scorpion. Two sliced at the witch's shoulders as the other two veered far left. Lordornia screamed and gripped at her shoulder and glared at the blonde. The scorpion's tail came down hard and merciless, but the witch's eyes burned red and the rock creature exploded. Her eyes were intent on the blonde and she began to mutter an incantation. Penelope stopped and began to run to the side but the red blur of energy slithered in mid air towards her. The witch had no time to watch or enjoy her curse as Onar, who found his way to the ground safely thanks to his uncanny ability of bouncing off the stalactites, sunk his teeth into the woman's right shoulder from behind. Lordornia let out a scream and built up a static ball of red and zapped off the nerk.

Althea jumped in front of the red mist before it could ensnare Penelope and shook her asson. The barrier absorbed the mist and left the blonde shocked but very glad to see her old friend, "Althea… you came back?"

Penelope gave her a big hug and Althea rolled her eyes as her Haitian accent cut in, "I couldn't let you get away with calling me a coward… and besides… you need me."

Penelope gave a big smile, "I love you, too."

* * *

There was a scream from up above and a powerful build of energy that made Althea and Penelope look up to see Lady Fowler still floating in mid air and glowing green and quickly dodging every slash and blast that Bazinga Sheldor's sent her way and it was beginning to frustrate the demon immensely. Penelope grit her teeth staring at the demon roaring and her eyes watered. Onar's body came zooming and slamming into the wall with the red aura disappearing into the hole. She shook her head and put her focus back to Lordornia who was striking forward at Wolowix. Her slash of the faded red smoking flame around her hands came across Wolowix's chest. Four deep cuts across his chest bled and the momentum of the strike made him stumble backwards and slide against the ground. Penelope sidestepped from Althea and then bolted forward. Her boots made her movements faster than barefooted as she ran full blast towards the witch.

Lordornia didn't see the blonde rushing forward as she pulled out the arrow with a groan then was met with a knee against her jaw. Lordornia did a flailing stutter step backwards and regained her balance as her wounds healed quickly. Penelope furrowed her brow as Lordornia spat out what looked like a tooth and began to laugh, "I knew the moment my daughter took you in… you'd be the bitch that would bite the hand that fed her. I think it's time to put you down…" Her eyes burned red and she raised her arms to her side as if she were about to flap her arms and fly. Penelope felt a pressure against her throat and she grabbed at it while gasping out for air. Her feet slowly came off the ground as she tried to scream for help.

Althea stepped in front of Lordornia and her eyes began to glow purple as her asson rattled in her hand as she chanted, "_Vin jwenn mwen epi n'a goumen._" Columns of purple blasts of energy from five points around the witch shot up from the ground around the witch. Lordornia looked around in shock at the wall of purple as Penelope fell to the ground in a grunt. Lordornia furrowed her brow as she stared at the Mambo, "You too? You betray us…" The witch laughs in disdain, "Do you honestly think that your heathen magic can stop me?"

Althea kept shaking her asson as she stared angrily, "Your magic is weakening… your power over me… over your mindless creatures… it's waning… and my 'heathen' spirits are in the mood to see you finally be put into your place!"

Lordornia laughed, "Weakening… NOT weak, you stupid sacrilegious drudge!" Her red energy ripped the purple veil like wet toilet paper and she moved very fast towards the Haitian. Althea had no time to react as Penelope screamed for her to move, but it was in vain. Lordornia's red covered hands penetrated the sternum of the stunned Mambo. The witch smiled as she ripped her hand out of the woman's chest and laughed as the Haitian fell back with no hesitation as her back easily slammed into the ground. Penelope watched Althea lifelessly fall back and she let out a battle cry with tears streaming down her eyes and ran at her.

Lordornia raised her hand at Penelope with a monstrous smile and the blonde woman went flying back towards the wall. The witch gave a laugh and turned only to be met with an unfaltering holler and a glowing blue arm through her midsection. Lordornia's red energy seemed to flicker out as Wolowix pushed his arm further into her body as he got close and whispered angrily through a bloody mouth, "For my wife…" He snarled and groaned savagely as he pulled out his arm violently.

The witch gurgled and stepped back lazily as the black nerk slid in front of her sluggish moving body and gave a canine chipped snarl and harshly spoke with his telepathy, **_"And this is for my girl…"_** Onar lunged forward with his jaws wide open and quickly snapped the woman's head in his jaws. With a fast jerk of his head; the witch's head was ripped clean off. He flung the head far away from her body and snarled as the headless corpse tipped over and shattered when it hit the ground.

* * *

Lady Fowler watched as her mother was ripped apart and she used her power to blast Bazinga Sheldor straight out of the tunnel's side showing the beam of sunlight as her eyes burned a hellish green. She balled her fist tightly and screamed as her body was engulfed with in emerald flame. There was a pulse of her scream in the air that haloed out like a ripple and the witch disappeared. The moment she was gone; the castle began to collapse upon itself.

"Penelope… we need to go!" Wolowix spoke as he shook… coming down from the adreline of killing the witch. He moved to the blonde, who was bent down and crying over the Haitian's body, "Penelope… PLEASE… We have to go… Now…"

The woman stared down at the body almost as if she didn't hear the shorter man. Wolowix held his ribs and let out a painful groan as huge rocks smashed into one another, "PENELOPE!" The blonde flinched and kissed Althea's cold forehead then stood up slowly. Her heart ached for the people she had to watch die in this very cave… She bowed her head one last time as Wolowix grabbed her upper arm and pulled her towards Onar. The two perched themselves on the black nerk's back and Onar zoomed through the rubble towards the new hole made and they escaped the confines of the collapsing castle.

* * *

Lady Fowler erupted in the center of Omashire and caused all the people gathering there to scream and back away. Centaurs aimed their arrows, the Ahaon pack of garms made a safe circle around her, fairies had the trees making tentacle that were twitching above her, and the group of Dísir took their places in the same circle as the garms with the deer skulled spirit pointing her sword towards the witch. Lady Fowler's green aura was fading and she knew she needed to act soon. She took in a deep breath and raised her arms as if she were about to be hung on a cross and she floated mere inches off the ground. Her lips moved wildly and the ground began to shake as the ground began to crack like a mirror below her feet. All the creatures whimpered and moved to escape the fissures but screamed more when perfectly round boulders ripped out of the ground followed by decayed arms exploding up and slamming to the earth.

The boulders fell back to the ground but before they touched, the shells burst open and revealed a nasty looking feline beast. One of the villagers screamed out, 'Soft Kitties' and everyone began to panic. As centaurs sent deadly accurate arrows towards the armored cats, zombies of all kinds charged after anything that moved.

It was Rajesh and Pryna who reached the witch first. Rajesh could feel Lady Fowler's aura. They swooped in with their Lady Fowler was still encased in a green fire and she didn't seem to be responsive. Rajesh threw his arm in front of his sister and moved closer while Pryna played her bansuri to take out zombies and Soft Kitties in the vicinity.

"My lady… I know you're in there. I know you are scared and angry and sad… but please… please don't do this. There has been far too many lives taken already." The witch's burning eyes and shattered face looked at Rajesh and he swallowed, "There is a cure… my cousin can cure your Pembe curse. Come with me… stop all this and come with me… Please."

The green aura erupted from around the witch and her eyes died to their solemn blue color and she took a few steps towards him, slowly. She looked up at him and he smiled. His hand caressed the shattered remains upon her face and her eyes softened… then burned with rage as she slammed her metallic hand against his face, "I have lost EVERYTHING… what makes you believe you can replace them with false hopes and ridiculous attachments. You have betrayed me… now… DIE!"

Pryna's screams for her brother went in vain as a green charge of electricity bore through the male Garuda's body and he convulsed in her grip. He fell to his knees like a lifeless puppet and Lady Fowler gave a glowing eyed stare at Pryna before tossing the limp body of Rajesh to the side… the flesh of his face being stuck to the metallic hand and making an awful ripping noise.

Pryna's eyes burned and she shrieked with pure rage and her body burst into her full roc form. Before she could get off the ground, she was attacked by an entire cluster of Soft Kitties and their bites and scratches put the big bird on the ground. They ripped her apart, piece by piece, right in front of the witch, whose eyes smiled angrily.

* * *

An arrow whistled in the air and pierced her right in the left shoulder and caused her to yelp in pain. She gripped at the shaft of the arrow and yanked it out with her body cringing. Immediately, another arrow whistled and struck her upper right thigh. That made her grip the shaft of that arrow and looked up to see a man in a tan trench coat sitting on top of a chimney upon one of the houses in the village with a big smile on his face. Wesley wiggled her fingers in a mock wave as he pointed his crossbow at her, "There's more where those came from, Ugly."

Lady Fowler ripped the arrow out of her leg and showed no pain as her hand burned green and she made a slicing motion towards the house and severed the top part of the house making the chimney collapse. After doing that, she noticed herself getting weak and her green aura dulled a little, but the chimney collapse caused the shoeless witch hunter to fall and hit his back on sharpened stones and boards.

Onar raced through the carnage of Soft Kitties and Zombies against everything else. Penelope threw her Blossoms while Wolowix used the trees and ground as weapons, but it wasn't enough… there were too many. The three were stunned when they heard a scream from the outskirts of the huge city and Onar picked up his pace. Wolowix gripped the fur in horror as Penelope wrapped her arms around his torso as he mumbled to the nerk, "That sounded like Pryna." That made Onar's steps even faster.

They got there just in time to watch Wesley's body fall lifelessly. Wolowix and Penelope dismounted and stared in horror at the Soft Kitties ripping and devouring the body of a huge bird and the faceless corpse of Rajesh. Wolowix got a little tipsy and rushed to the side to expel his bowels as Onar snarled madly, **_"You fucking MONSTER!" _**Penelope shrilled a 'No' but it was too late… the nerk sprang forward intending on a full attack.

Though Lady Fowler felt dizzy, she shook herself out of it and let a lash of green whip around the nerks neck. She flicked her hand like she was conducting an orchestra, and the thin energy tightened around the little nerk's neck and pulled him up in the air. He hung and thrashed trying to get the energy off his neck but the moment she used her metallic hand to join in the energy pull and put another thread around him… she had a suddenly flint of anger, "You killed my mother… you took her head RIGHT off… let's see how YOU like it!"

Wolowix sent an air blade to slice at the witch, but it was too late… the two energies snapped and sparked into two different directions and the nerk's head snapped clean off. The air blade made the witch fly backwards, but she rolled and caught herself just as the body of the nerk listlessly hit the ground and his head, bounced to the ground a few moments after.

* * *

Wolowix felt numb… he felt everything in his body just leave him. He couldn't breathe… he couldn't cry… he couldn't think or speak or even move. He fell to his knees only a few feet from the nerk's severed head and just watched as the eyes went vacant. Wolowix raised his eyes to the high in their sockets as he slowly raised his head. His breathing went erratic as he pushed himself up off the ground and the darkest blue energy swarmed around him.

Penelope stared at the dead body of Onar and couldn't stop all the tears that flowed from her face. A thundering noise came from around them and they were surrounded by enormous wolf-like creatures… they were almost twice the size that Onar was, but they looked like nerkanines. Lady Fowler put a weak green flame barrier around her and watched as a huge, reddish brown nerk moved to be right behind Wolowix and Penelope. The two looked up in horror and moved away as the nerk moved to the corpse of the black nerk. The nerk just stared down at it with big eyes and the ears straight back. The nerk bent down and touched nose against the nose of the severed head in a very softened moment. There began a guttural rumbling in the nerk's throat and the teeth the size of Penelope were bared, raw and angrily. The head snapped to where two very dangerously glowing eyes pierced into the soul of the blonde and a voice filled her head, **_"Who did this? WHO KILLED MY SON? WAS IT YOU?"_**

Penelope shook her head and tears began to pour down her face. She couldn't speak… she could barely breathe, but Wolowix could, "I wasn't the blonde... it was Her. The WITCH… The witch killed your son… The witch killed Onar... OUR FRIEND… MY friend!"

The nerk looked over at the glowing blue innovagygr then at the glowing green woman in the center of the nerk's circle. Before anyone could react, a gray nerk sprang from the ranks with a ferocious intention. The red nerk screamed out but it was too late to gather the pack… every last nerk swarmed in to avenge their fallen and the red one pounced in, too. Penelope turned her head and cried… not just for Onar or for any of the others who were dead now… but for the mother who had to see her son dead right before her. For the people who had to keep fighting knowing their friends and family and loved ones were gone and they had nothing to fight for. She cried for them… for ALL of them.

Wolowix moved to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see a knowing look upon his face and she put her hand against his cheek for support. Suddenly, there was a collection of yelps that caused the two to snap their focus and see a sphere of green energy fling the nerks in all sorts of directions and make a bubble around her. Wolowix glared as Penelope joined his side and they both barged into the globe. There was a spark of pain, but both were too numb to feel it.

Lady Fowler looked like she couldn't stand still or focus too well but her energy stayed strong, although monumentally weaker than before. Wolowix didn't hesitate… he sent shards of spiked ground towards her as Penelope charged full speed behind them. The witch blocked the barrage then side stepped the blonde's attack and took her chance and grabbed Penelope's throat in a death grip with her metallic arm. She moved the blonde in between her and the innovagygr, "You make one more move… and I'll snap her neck."

Wolowix strode towards her until he was mere feet away and she tightened her grip but only enough to make the blonde struggle for air. Wolowix spoke, "We both know you don't have it in you to kill the only thing left in your life. Your 'Bestie'… I can see you struggling with your inner demon right now… Go on… Kill your best friend… You've killed everybody else's… why not your OWN?"

That struck something in the witch and she made it as though she were about to do something, but instead, she slowly put Penelope back on the ground. Wolowix grinned as his hand burned blue and was about to strike until something big crashed behind him. He didn't have time to turn and look for a blackened arm went right through him then flung him off like a stray piece of food. In shock, the witch let go of the blonde and the green energy weakened tenfold. Penelope backed away and saw Wolowix's dead body to the side then looked up to see Bazinga Sheldor… no… Khimero void of all human emotions… now face to face with the weakened witch and a very lethal smile on his face.


	23. Chapter 23

_This is the final chapter! YAY... And because of the ending, I changed the rating to M... FO' A REASON! *winks*_

* * *

**Chapter 23**

* * *

Khimero gave a laugh as Lady Fowler tried to use her magic against him. She slashed at his eyes, tried to blast him away and even tried teleport away, but nothing she did worked. She backed herself up until her back hit the trunk of a tree and the demon was only inches away and towering over her. That slimy tongue darted out of his mouth as the demon gave a monstrous smile, **"You're so cute when you think you stand a chance against me. Goodbye… Amelia…"** The demon kissed the witch on the lips and stepped away to stare at the shocked witch. Her shock went into pure terror as a darkness spread from her lips all over her body. Soon she was encased in a blackness and the witch struggled to rip it off her face. Her fight was futile and soon her arms went to her side and the green dome died completely. The black form shivered then fell to the ground in a puddle then smoked and dissipated completely.

Zombies and Soft Kitties fell and melted into green goo and there was once again a cheer across the village, but Penelope knew better. The villagers, centaurs, nerkanines... all of them came towards the center of the forest. All gasped and turned their heads at the dead bodies scattered around the demon. The Khimero just stood there, not moving except his ever twitching snake tail. Penelope found her voice, "Ruuun... RUN! EVERYBODY RUN!"

They didn't react fast enough and the demon smiled wide. A black mist foamed over everything... except Penelope... and she watched as women, children, men, and beast all screamed and grasped at someone to help them... but nothing came as the blackened fog liquified them all leaving Penelope in the wake of tragedy.

She didn't move for a long time... she just stared at the motionless monster. The tears formed and the fear of the man she loved became so strong within her. She took in a deep breath and moved towards him. She didn't even hear the ethereal pleas of a ghost-formed Chrsnyght behind her. She rounded him and bent her head to look as his bowed head with the tears still falling down her face. She stood mere feet from him and she swallowed before whispering, "She… Sheldor… are you still in there? Can you hear me?"

The demon's head lifted and looked into her eyes with blackened out pools and tilted its head. She reached out, against her better judgment, and placed her right palm against his cheek. The creature leaned against her touch and a smile formed on her lips then a very dangerous smile but Penelope was too slow to react.

* * *

The demon stood tall and launched his hand into her chest and ripped out her heart while the other arm snaked around her back to keep her close. Her breath hitched as the pain ricocheted throughout her body. She stared at the beating heart in the demon's hands as he laughed with his wormy tongue darting out of his mouth. As she battled with delving into darkness, she reached a weakened hand up, shakily, and placed it on the demon's cheek and spoke with a smile on her face, "I… I love you… I love you so much… Sheldor." She leaned up and caught the lips of a callously shocked demon and when she pulled away, the demon laughed as it echoed in the empty center of the forest.

The demon's laugh died quickly as his left arm, holding the heart, began to betray him. The limb bent backwards and forwards in sharp movement until it calmed and the blackness began to ghost off leaving a human tinted flesh past the forearm. The demon screamed and let the blonde fall to the ground lifelessly as it used its right arm to grab at the newly freed arm. It was too late… Sheldor had full control and as he crushed the beating heart in his grip… a flint of black squirted out of it and the demon's scream seemed to fly further and further away until there was nothing... absolutely nothing.

* * *

**_WwwWwwW_**

* * *

**Life... Life really never dies. It never stops for a moment, in fact. A Buddhist hymn called****_ Life Never Dies_**** says it best: **

**_Life never dies, although we live. _**

**_In midst of change and death, _**

**_Only the forms shall pass away. _**

**_And not the spirit's breath. _**

**_The consciousness can never die. _**

**_Although it seems to fade. _**

**_It doth but pass to other forms. _**

**_Which thoughts and acts have made._**

**_"There is no death" all nature cries. _**

**_The rose will reappear. _**

**_Its petal will more perfect be. _**

**_After the winter drear. _**

**_The tiny bird that lifeless falls._**

**_A victim to its prey. _**

**_Returns again in higher forms. _**

**_Upon its upward way. _**

**Love, much like Life, also never dies... It evolves and adapts like a living thing and hunts us like a predator. It will find us... It will find us no matter what reality we exist in... It. Will. Find. You****_._**

* * *

**_WwwWwwW_**

* * *

Sheldon jerks out of the bed screaming, "Danger, DANGER!" His pajama ensemble was drenched in sweat as he panted erratically with pure terror plastered on his face. The transudation trailed down his cheek and down his strained neck to absorb into the drenched pajama jacket as he tried to calm his sporadic thoughts and lungs. His eyes were frantic as they swept around the currently foreign room. It was barely lit by a pale yellow light being emitted from his night light. Still panting, he suddenly had an explosion of terror... a sudden NEED to know. He scissor kicked the comforter off his legs and flings himself off the bed towards his door. He wastes no time yanking the wooden door nearly off the frame.

He moves down the hall and nearly slams his shoulder into Leonard's bedroom door. He frenetically pounds his roommate's door with his open palm and speaks his roommate's name with a high deal of panic:

**BAM, BAM, BAM, LEONARD!  
BAM, BAM, BAM, LEONARD!  
****_BAM, BAM, BAM_****, LEONARD!**

He didn't wait for a response as he ripped open the door. One hand gripping the doorknob and the other clutching the door frame. Both were strained white from the tightened grip. His chest heaved harder as his breath started to shudder out. His mind was on full blown anxiety as he rushed out of the door, slamming it loudly behind him and he sprinted down the hall towards the living room.

He tumbled upon the floor as he forgot about the small step down at the end of the hallway. He nearly flips over the cream cushioned chair as he finally finds his footing, still in a sprinting momentum. He yanks the front door of 4A with the strength of his untested adrenaline and it rattles the frame, nearly knocking off the Jon Snow's Longclaw sword off the wall with the dart board on the back of the door. The shelf took in the rushed wood and a loud bang ensued.

Sheldon had tunnel vision as he raced across the hall, not even caring that his door was wide open or that he made the loudest noise in his entire life. He barely stopped in time to not run into the front of 4B, but he didn't hesitate the moment he got there. He balled up his fist as his voice boomed and his chest still trying to catch up with is lungs:

**BANG, BANG, BANG, PENNY!**  
He ignored the pain in the side of his hand as he silently pleaded to any unknown force in the world that she was here… that she was alive…  
**BANG, BANG, BANG, PENNY!**  
He strained his Vulcan hearing to its max… trying to hear anything… but mostly to hear her heart beating.  
**_BANG, BANG, BANG,_**** PENNY!  
**Something along the lines of relieved ecstasy rushed over him as he heard her feet pound against the floor in a frenzy.

* * *

Penny pulled open the door with her pink robe wide open and just a tight fitted wife-beater and Cornhusker short shorts underneath She had a faint hint of two candles flickering behind her on her kitchen table. Her eyes were unfocused from just getting jarred out of sleep, but were wide with fear as she ran her gaze over the man standing at her door, "Oh God… Sheldon… what happened? Did… did someone get hurt? Did someone die? Oh My God…"

* * *

His eyes fell to her bared chest over her heart. No scar… He was still trying to catch his breath as his mind was still blank… didn't calculate the germ ratio… didn't add or subtract or divide by pi… but his body didn't wait for it to catch up, either… In a wave of relief, he careened forward into her doorway and swept her up in an impetuous embrace. This served to not only make the blonde yelp in shock, but also to cause her to become more antsy.

He closed his eyes and took in her every detail. Her warmth radiating, her smell of apples and beeswax, the tickling of her hay colored hair against his forearm, and her stocky but feminine frame… he was so glad she was alive… he nearly cried right then and there. He held her tight… he held her with a childish fear that if he let her go; she'd disappear.

It was Penny who pushed away. She was beginning to pant just as he had before. She searched his gaze with her steel green eyes full of trepidation. He realized that this situation he had caused could be erroneously interoperated. She swallowed deeply and licked at her dry lips as she continued to pant, "Sh… Sheldon… who… what's going on? Who's dead? GOD… please… please… TALK TO ME…"

* * *

He watched her eyes water as her brain flung into random conclusions and Sheldon knew she thought it was Leonard who was dead. Ever since her awkward breakup with Leonard, a month ago, she's been an emotional mess. The only people who probably benefitted from the wretched event were Ben and Jerry. Their ice cream sales must have skyrocketed at that time. This was probably the first time he has actually interacted with the blonde in over the last year without it having to deal with Amy and/or Leonard.

Sheldon's OWN break up wasn't as melodramatic… It was swift, clean, and emotionless. Faisal, Amy's Saudi Arabian prince, demanded her hand in marriage or he would invade America and declare war. It was quite overly dramatic, but the look on the man's face over Skype was anything BUT. He looked serious. Knowing that she was betrothed to the prince meant that she was liable to his demands. He and Amy Farrah Fowler severed their Agreement and Amy was on the first plane to Saudi Arabia the next week. He made her an arrangement to Skype every Wednesday morning at 6am. Being that Saudi Arabia was 11 hours ahead of Pasadena, it seemed the most logical choice of time.

* * *

He shook out of his head to see the blonde softly sobbing in front of him. He flexed his hands in and out as his brain finally caught up to him, "Penny… please… allow me to assure you that though there is a death in the state of California every 13 minutes, there is no one within our immediate social group that have perished. That I know of, of course."

Penny raised her redden eyes and sniffled. Her face was in full disbelief as it slowly twisted into anger, "Then why in the hell were you banging on my door so late? And that HUG… what the hell was THAT?"

He wanted to explain… to tell her the entirety of his dream, but he just shrugged in a cowardly way. Penny groaned loudly and shoved him in the chest with both her hands. She didn't use all her might, but it still sent Sheldon reeling backwards, "You CRAZY BASTARD! Did you just do this as some stupid ass experiment on emotions or some bullshit like that? Because if you did… so help me God… I will castrate you with my little PINK BIC RAZOR!"

He shook his head and felt his heart rate slow but not so much as to be completely calm, "Penny, Penny, Penny… what would I hope to gain in drawing out emotions you never seem to stop demonstrating? Nothing… so your inquiry is…"

"DAMN IT, SHELDON, SHUT HOLE! JUST. SHUT. UP! God! I can't BELIEVE you! You… you…" She squealed a bout of irritation and went to slam her door.

He slapped his bare palm against the wood and stopped the effort, "Wait… I'm troubled… I need a hot beverage."

Penny shook her head, "Go make it yourself!" She pushed the door again and Sheldon began to fight… began to feel that surging panic… he couldn't express what it was, but… the woman staring him in the eye seemed to read exactly what it was.

Her expression softened an exorbitant amount and her hands relaxed off the door, "It's 1:15 in the morning, Sweetie… I'm not making you tea… but… but I am still here for you… I always am so tell me what the hell got you so… human?"

He closed his eyes and looked away from her. There was a tear between seeing him shoving his hand into her chest and ripping out her chest… or delicately kissing her, feeling her soft skin against his finger tips, and having her gloriously naked and perfectly sculpted body pressed against his. The two images were at war inside his eidetic memory enhanced mind. Even in dreams… he remembers everything.

* * *

He swallowed and down casted his eyes, "I had… I had a very detailed dream… it was downright horrific. Everything about it felt so real… felt as if it truly was a verifiable homeland even though the premise was too farfetched to ever be factual."

He leaned against her door frame as she leaned against the edge of her door and her voice cut, "I've had a lot of dreams like that. What… what happened in the dream, Sheldon?" He looked up at her and watched her push her loose, long hair behind her left ear.

He let out a sigh and lifted his right hand a little so he could stare at it a little bit. He swallowed and shut his eyes tightly for a brief moment before looking up at the curious blonde. His voice barely got through as he spoke with a clouded whisper, "I… killed people."

Penny pushed off the door and her eyes went wide, "Who?"

Sheldon took in a deep breath through his nose and it sounded obstructed from mucous, "Amy, Wolowitz, and so many innocent creatures… and you."

He looked up at Penny with his eyes glistening with tears and her breath hitched. Sheldon shook his head and looked back down, "I couldn't… I couldn't stop it… I was inside but I just couldn't stop IT! I was a monster… an animal… a demon. Ohh PENNY… I killed you all like you weren't fit to live! I killed YOU… I ripped your heart right out of your chest and crushed it like a Capri Sun pouch. I crushed it in my hands because that was the only way I could save you… to save ME. I… I killed us BOTH."

She stepped to him and her hands hesitated to touch him, but her voice never wavered, "Whoa… Shhhh… It's ok… It's ok Sweetie… I'm right here. I'm here, see. It was JUST a dream. I'm standing... I'm standing right here."

The tears trickled softly down his cheek as he looked up at her. She smiled as their eyes met just to show that she was just fine. Sheldon licked his lips and swallowed copiously as he had the urge to touch her. His mind didn't scream at him that it was a bad idea it just wanted the proof that she was in fact there. He lifted his right hand and caressed her left cheek.

He rubbed his thumb over the skin and felt a scar. It wasn't very deep, but he never remembered seeing a scar on Penny's cheek. His mind swirled with images of Lady Fowler slicing her cheek to prove that she and he were connected. He dropped his hand off her cheek and lifted it up to HIS left cheek. There it was… the small, almost insignificant scar that was in all shapes and location identical to Penny's… yet… it was the images of Penny and himself wrapped together, bare naked in the Maji ni ya Muda that had his cheeks blaring red.

* * *

He noticed Penny back step after his hand was removed and he cleared his throat, "You are right… I was being far too childish… I apologize, Penelo… pe. I… I mean… Penny. I'm sorry… for ruining your REM cycle. I… I shall go. Goodnight PENNY." He didn't give the woman time to react; he marched back over to his wide open door in a rush of preposterous embarrassment.

"Sheldon… wait… WAIT!" She called out and he ignored, but with crazy speed (that reminded him of Penelope in his dream), she was right in front of him and blocking him from going inside his apartment, "I said WAIT… you stubborn Jack Hole!"

"Penny… I have just overreacted to some frivolous dream that had no meaning other than I have no heart and shared it with you. I woke you up in an immature bout of panic and I just want to go back to bed and hide from it all. Goodnight."

Penny didn't budge and it angered Sheldon to no end. He was about to grab her and fling her to the side, but her voice rang out and stopped him cold, "We shared a heart? What… what did that mean?"

He looked at her with a nervous twitch. He couldn't tell her… He didn't want to tell her… but the truth was a hard force to keep on his tongue. He always felt the need to get it off his mind and let it fester upon others rather than himself. He swallowed deeply and took in a few breaths before he muttered, "In my dream… you… you were used as a sex slave to lure men to their deaths. Because of that, you grew to fear intimacy and falling in love… Philophobia. Yet, you had no fear of sex… no fear of touching. It was your prudish nature that kept your hopes up. You used my whole 'virginity' premise to lure me to my demise, but, in the end… it was my stupid emotions that got me caught. I had… I had fallen in love with you… and in that moment… our hearts sought one another out. My heart… became your heart. "

He kept his eyes downward and stared at Penny's perfectly manicured, but manly, toes. He had a fear of looking her in the eye at this point, but he still spoke, "I became a heartless monster… I became shut off from everything and arrogantly powerful to boot… yet, deep inside… I still found myself yearning for you… I wanted to take away all your pain… all your loneliness and grievances… to see that pulchritudinous smile light up your face, again. I wanted to be yours… and in turn… you to be mine, but… my love for you wasn't stronger than my lust for power and knowledge."

He dared to look up and he stood up straight as his eyes went wide. She had tears streaming down her face and she was breathing in and out through her mouth as if she were having trouble breathing. Her hands were gripping the side of her robe as she stared into his eyes. He doesn't quite understand her reaction and he speaks, "Penny… are you alright…"

"Did you mean that? Did you mean any of THAT or was it just for the DREAM?" She stepped forward a few steps only leaving a hand's length from one another and Sheldon was struck dumbfounded by the questions. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out but Penny's voice was strong and seemingly desperate for something, "TELL ME, Sheldon!"

He couldn't breathe… he couldn't think… he couldn't stop staring into her eyes. Her eyes that looked so sad but full of pride. They were drawing him into her web of emotional malarkey. He just told her that it was a dream, but much like women with dramatic tendencies do… she overreacted. He was in no way shape or form attracted to Penny that way, "Penny, it was a DREAM… just a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during the rapid-eye movement stage of sleep. Nothing more."

Penny let out a sigh of air and shook her head prominently, "Dreams are a magic mirror of ourselves, Sheldon. They reflect what's happening on the surface of our lives and the shrewd insights we have into other people. Dreams allow you to gain a clearer view of who you are and your true desires…"

He watched the passion in her eyes as she spoke. Her hands flying all over the place as she babbled on and on about dream logic. His memory placed a very ill-gotten trick on his mind… her tongue against his closed lips. It made him purse his lips at the thought, but now… he was staring at her mouth. It was then that he noticed that she was done speaking and, by the look on her face, she had asked him a question. He cleared his throat and shook his head, "Penny… I… I have regretted this venture. I have gotten your petty emotions all stirred up and all because of some illogical dream. Please… just… just return to your abode so I may do the same."

"Tell me… tell me you don't want me. Look me in the eye and tell me that you don't have some sort of attraction to me without flinching and I'll go into my apartment and never bother you again…"

Sheldon's heart skipped a beat. His eyes saw desperation seeping out of the woman. Was she THAT desperate? No… Nooo… His mind calmed down and took every last inch of her body language. She wasn't desperate… she was eager. Did… did she feel something for him? He tilted his head and found the need to know, "I will do so if you can tell me that YOU don't have feelings for me."

Her reaction clarified his inquiry. Her eyes went straight down to the ground and he smiled. He thought he smiled for victory, but it turned out… as he moved forward and brushed a lock of loose hair behind her ear… that it was, in fact, a smile of relief and satisfaction. He… he gave in.

* * *

Her eyes shot up and mingled with his gaze as his finger lingered down her neck after the initial touch. He gave her the briefest smile before licking his lips and barely whispering, "Penny… I…"

She had him in her arms and kissing him soundly within half a heartbeat. It was cut short by Sheldon pushing her to the side. She almost screamed his name as he walked into his doorway, but suppressed it as he grabbed the doorknob and closed it. He gave a sloppy, sideways smile as he turned back around, "That was bothering me… I apologize."

She gave him a smile before it melted into a look that he'd never seen before. It looked like… she wanted to hunt him and drag his carcass back to her apartment… he was mostly right. She grabbed the front of his jacket and dragged him into 4B. He was actually afraid of fighting back, so he followed with inaudible defeat. He was rewarded with a push against the closed front door and a very sensual kiss. He pressed himself off the door and into her. He had the overwhelming urge to take over… he didn't like being the submissive one. Their lips moved frictionless against one another. A hint of toothpaste and some unknown taste that he would label 'Penny's Flavor' sent his hands sliding down her side and gripping the swell of her ass just to press her body closer. It earned him a vibrating moan within the kiss.

Penny used her upper body strength to wrap her arms around his neck and lift herself just as she slipped her tongue into the physicist's mouth. The leverage she used allowed her tongue to throw the first blow in the oral fencing match. She was given a pleasant surprise as Sheldon's hands scooped the bottom of her ass and quads to lift her a bit higher. The action caused her sex's mound to rub against his ever growing erection. That seemed to have been his kryptonite… he released her and shuddered slightly as he pulled his lips away.

They both panted, madly. He couldn't look at her just then. He… he couldn't believe how intense just BRUSHING UP against her was… he couldn't imagine how it would feel full on. That's what was making his heart skip beats. When he finally looked up at her; he licked his lips and spoke timidly, "The… the only thing I regret in my dream… was never getting to know everything about you… your every inch. I regret never having you in my arms and… and never getting a chance to make love to you."

She stepped back and took off her robe and draped it across the back of the couch. Her face was breathtaking. It wasn't laced with desire or hunger… instead… it was veiled in devotion... friendship… fervency… and she smiled. She approached him and unbuttoned his jacket as she distracted him with her sexy whisper, "Well, I'm no dream… I'm right here, Sheldon. So… study me." She looked up into his eyes and gave a flirtatious smile as she bit at her bottom lip and slipped his pajama jacket right off his shoulders and hummed, "Study me all… night… Doctor."

That was enough… it was enough to stroke the man's ego AND his scientific curiosity. He didn't even care when his pajama jacket hit the floor because his arms were full of Penny. He used his never-stopping memory to lead him to Penny's Chinese lantern lit bedroom as his lips took inventory on her neck. He used his long leg to gently push the glass door of her bedroom half-way closed. He found her bed and dropped her down to where her bottom bounced on the mattress and he soon filled into the space between her legs. His erection pushed through the thin, weak fabric of his plaid, flannel pajama bottoms and it once again made quick friends with Penny's sexual core.

* * *

The friction caused Penny's fingers to grip at Sheldon's white undershirt and pulls it down as her body arched. The moan that escaped from her lips made a quake hit him all the way down his body. He moved his arms to either side and pushed himself up and earned him a look. He almost smiled at the fearful look in the blonde's eyes. He reached down and pulled the white shirt over his head. He felt unsure of himself the moment he had to put the shirt down. He closed his eyes very tightly and looked like he was about to gag as he tossed on the floor.

Penny gave a light chuckle and leaned up to run her hand against his pecks. She placed small, butterfly kisses on his sternum as his hands fell lifeless at his side. He gasped and fought the urge to grab her hands as her hand groped the front of his pants. Their eyes were glued to one another as his breathing picked back up and her hands moved back up to untie the pajama strings. He felt bold and slid back off the bed and stood. He hooked his fingers into the waistband and pulled them down. He failed to notice Penny stripping off her wife-beater then laying on her back and slipping out of her tight Cornhusker shorts. When he stepped out of his pants he looked up to find the blonde completely naked and on her knees in the middle of the bed with her hands pulling her hair back as she nibbled on the side of her lip. His jaw went slack and he nearly came right then and there.

She took him all. His legs were so scrawny and pale with a touch of darkened hair lining all the way up the creamy skin. She only got a peak at the half erect sex shaft before his gorgeously long fingered hands swooped to cover it. She looked up at his face and saw just how completely nervous he was. She had waited too long… she had made him feel exposed and unsure.

Penny swallowed and slid to the edge of the bed and balanced on her knees as she grabbed his hands and pulled him to her. With his hands still in her grip, she maneuvered them to grasp her ass then she wrapped her arms around his tense neck and kissed him slow and deep. With a slight squeeze of her cheeks, she smiled and knew he was back on track. She did not, however, expect him to back up with her still in his arms.

He pulled her off the edge of the bed, with his lips still firmly attached to hers, until her legs straightened out. Penny broke the kiss to stare at him strangely, but his head was down and his lips were on her neck as his one of his hands moved her hair to the side as the other rested on her hip. She was momentarily entranced by the almost strategized kisses. Her hands slid down his chest, over the small strip of dark hair above his bellybutton, and kneaded at the smooth flesh upon his hips. She took in her bottom lip and bit down as she contemplated this next part…

She pushed herself into Sheldon as he kissed her and made him break off her neck. He looked down in utter confusion, but Penny took action. She leaned into his chest and took his nipple into her mouth. It earned her tight grip on her shoulder and a very quiet gasp. She didn't linger long as she took the other in her mouth and nibbled on it softly. She pulled off that and began to kiss down his pale, flat abdomen.

He let out a strange noise as he realized where she was headed and he panicked a little, "Pp… PENNY… Nn… No… I would not allow you to do something so vulgar…"

Penny grabbed around his legs before he tried to move away and she smiled up at him, "It's ok… I want to…" She kissed the flesh just above the shaft of his penis and she looked back up at him as she licked her lips, "For you… I want to."

* * *

He let out huffs of exhales as he stared into her eyes. He was utterly mesmerized by her beauty and her craving to please him. He relaxed but never took his eyes off her… even when she scooped her hand to where her palm pushed against the front side of his testicles and her fingers brushed against his thighs delicately. She had the organ in between her thumb and index as her palm and the rest of her fingers joined together to sensually tug and push the flexible flesh of the shaft. The sensation nearly knocked Sheldon off his feet as he stumbled backwards, but Penny used her free hand to balance him. He threw his long arm off to the side and rested on the pale blue wall as his body shuddered at the ministrations of Penny's hand.

She could hear his erratic breathing and she knew this wasn't going to last very long by the way his body was tightening. She loved this… she had full control over a man that owned a spot in every one's household. He was exposed and raw and making noises that made her body lubricate itself. In that moment… he… he belonged to her. She wanted to see his eyes roll in the back of his head as he clawed, and grasped, and clenched at anything while she took him to the very edge. GOD… she wanted him… she wanted him… and that was all.

His penis began to curve slightly as she had him fully erect and his hips were beginning to rock. She wetted her mouth with a smile and slid the glans into her mouth and dragged it against her tongue. That earned her the most erotic grunt with her name moaned after it she had ever heard. She took in his 6 inch member as deep as she could and as she sucked the length of it back out… she was shocked at the smooth, shaky hands sliding over her shoulder and behind her neck and ponytailing her hair in his long fingered hands away from her face. She bobbed her head on the head of his penis while suckling lavishly wanting to hear him losing control.

She tasted the sweet fluids that seemed to drip from him as he was nearing his finale. She pulled him out of her mouth and looked up at his face. He was bent over, eyes closed in pure ecstasy as he still had her hair gripped in his hands. She jerked him quick and rough for a few more moments and she finally got to see him losing control… he pushed her away and he came hard and a whole lot more than she was expecting him to. She got up and found a dirty towel on the floor near her bed and handed it to him.

* * *

He wiped himself clean and didn't even complain about the dirtiness of the towel… she mused it had something to do with her magic touch. She half expected the 'romance' of the moment to be quite done with a proud but disappointed face. She pleased the hardest man to please… she was proud of herself. She sighed and was about to reach for her shirt when Sheldon spun her around into his arms still naked and already half erect again. She gasped as one of his hands lifted her hair off her neck and kissed at it hungrily while the other slid down her body and gripping the back of her leg. He pressed her body back and her legs hit the bed. One arm constricted around her as the other caught their momentum as they plummeted to the mattress, gracefully.

She was underneath him but he didn't crush her. He had shifted his weight to where all the pressure was at their apexes. His kisses were timid and trembling but she believed that was still from recovering from his orgasm. He was so inexperienced, but Penny just took in everything… his clean scent… his bold curiosity… his eagerness to please... and her favorite… his deadly sexually accurate touch.

"Oh Yes… Yes, Yes, Yes… Yes Sheldon… GOD!" Penny hummed and moaned and squirmed as he bends his body to where he could take in one of her pliable nipples into his mouth AND allow his glans to rub at her wet entrance and use the friction to spread her wetness up and down so licentiously.

She grabbed at him, but his leverage allowed him to stay in full control. If she weren't so damn turned on, she might have had to slap him when she felt him smiling through his ministrations. He pulled his lips off her breast and moved to stretch his body over hers. His arms were now straight and buried within the pillows just in front of her headboard on either side of her head as he used them to prop himself up and hover over her. The low glow of her Chinese lanterns made half his face readable and the other half hidden in shadow, but that one blue eye she could see was connected with her gaze. She was puddy underneath his heated body and his ice cold, analytical eyes. His face was calm and formed into carnal intoxication and she just HAD to taste him… to feel him… to breathe him in.

She reached up and ran her finger across his lip and he closed his eyes as if reeling in the feeling. He bent down his shoulders as his eyes slowly opened and they kissed. Tongues that acted well-behaved as their lips melded sensuously. She couldn't take it anymore… she broke the kiss and whimpered a plea against the man's lips, "Ooo… Sheldon… GOD… Please… Oooo… PLEEEASE…"

He didn't make a joke… didn't act dumb to her demand… didn't pause to do calculations or wonder how many STD's he was going to catch or wonder how many men she had said that to in her life… he just slid his ever hardening member slowly into the well lubricated vaginal opening. When he had filled the tightened pathway as far as his penis would go… the two of them quivered and gasped at the intensity of the union.

* * *

Sheldon was braced on his straightened out arms on either side of her head and dared not to move. His brain cataloged every last pulsing throb against her vaginal wall as he slowly pulled out of her and in to her just as slowly… every last drop of sweat that ticked off of him to splash against her gorgeously tanned skin as he picked up his speed… every last expansion of lungs to take in air that seemed so hard to come by as he bent down to nip at the flesh of her neck… every last grunt and moan and whimper that HIS woman below him would sacrifice to please him as the flesh on their legs slapped together in the primal noise of coitus… every last feel of her fingers desperately trying to retain this reality by clawing at his sides and wrapping her legs around his hips trying to get him closer and deeper… and even every last fiber of pillow underneath his tightened hands as she pressed herself deep into the mattress. She caresses his plump, muscular ass cheeks as they flexed and pushed his cock as deep as it would go. Her nails digging into the dimpled dampened flesh as her body mutely screamed from the torturous pleasure that was singeing her sexual nerve-endings and finally made her body go rigid as she bellowed his name and orgasmed all around him.

He had never loved his accursed eidetic memory more than he did right now… now, as he looked down at her… having consumed her… penetrated her… owned her… making sure she'd always remember… that she… that she was HIS. He felt a surge of passion and a need to taste her as the back of her head arched her upper body upwards. He bent down at kissed her suprasternal notch of her neck hungrily as he pumped a few more times before his orgasm hit again. He growled and moaned against her skin and he felt her fingers gripping at his hair in an attempt to appease HIS culmination that was within her.

He kissed sloppily and exhaustedly at the skin of her collar bone as he pulled out of her. Both hissing and twitching at the feeling. He delved back down to her side but crossed over her limp body to kiss at her neck while his fingers traced down her side and rested underneath her bellybutton. He reveled in the fact that he didn't find the 'infertility seal' on her belly from the dream as she panted at his ear. He heard her give a few weary moans as she leaned up to him and placed a single kiss right below his ear.

"I love you…"

The pure silk of her voice caught him by surprise. He leaned back across and stared into her shaded olive eyes with uncertainty within his own eyes. He knew from many years of having to sit through the horrid chit chat about her and Leonard's past that she had a very big problem saying those three words out loud… he swallowed, "You… you… love me? Are you certain? In many cases some people tend to babble or say things because of a buildup of high doses of oxytocin in the brain fuddling up their thoughts. This could just be your emotional state after intercourse… I believe…"

"SHELDON... I won't say it again."

He stops and looks into her eyes to see that she was sincere and resolved. There wasn't a hint of regret anywhere on her face and he swallowed. He didn't even think about it… he didn't have to… he felt a huge electrostatic charge between their gaze and kept her eyes as spoke, "I… I am in love with you, as well." Their sweaty bodies clung together as she smiled and wrapped her arms around his head as she took him into a romantic kiss and he pulled her on top of him as her golden hair curtained around his head.

* * *

Chrsnyght smokes into form hovering slightly off the floor just outside Penny's bedroom door. Her horse hooves touch down on the wooden floor with silent grace and her long tail sways in the dark. She looks at the small opening of the bedroom door and she reaches over and closes it. She gives a big grin as she hears the second round of sex had been initiated and she looks at us with those blackened eyes with white pupils, **"A great man once said… "I will greet this day with love in my heart. For this is the greatest secret of success in all ventures…"**

Sheldon and Penny's hands intermingled in mid air as they kissed. They pressed their bare torsos against one another as Penny teased with her kisses. A Hello Kitty doll sat upon her dresser face down with an arrow sticking out of her butt cheek.

* * *

"**Muscles can split a shield and even destroy life itself but only the unseen power of love can open the hearts of man."**

Leonard sat alone at a bar with a glass of amber liquor. He rubbed his thumb over the logo of the bar… a black wolf's head snarling in a shield with 'Wolf's Head Pub' underneath the logo. He brought the glass back to the dark-stained wooden bar and he let out a big sigh from his blown out cheeks. Suddenly, a woman covered his eyes from behind and he reached up to grab them with a big smile on his face. He pulled the arms around his neck as Alex Jensen took him into a big hug. Leonard swirled in his barstool and they both shared a passionate kiss and shared the whole night with one another.

* * *

"**And until I master this act I will remain no more than a peddler in the marketplace."**

Raj sat on his couch with his laptop in his lap. He was laughing with his eyes closed and his head lolled back before he leaned over and placed the laptop on his table right beside his statue of Vishnu riding a Garuda. He smiled at the bright screen in his pitch black apartment and was in deep conversation with Priya on Skype. Through all the loneliness of his life, Raj knew… no matter what… he would always have his family.

* * *

"**I will make love my greatest weapon and none on who I call can defend upon its force."**

Howard stirred out of his sleep in a sweaty panic as he looked around his darkened room with shifty eyes. His eyes flew over the crossbow, picture of a spinosaurus roaring at a tyrannosaurus rex, and blue lava lamp with a dragon's head sticking up from the tip with its mouth wide open. He was instantly wrapped into the embrace of Bernadette who kissed as his cheek and neck to calm him down. He took her hand into his and let out a happy sigh as he tilted his head against hers and kissed at her forehead. As his breathing regained normality, they both fell back asleep... gently holding onto one another.

* * *

"**... my love will melt all hearts liken to the sun whose rays soften the coldest day."**

Amy stares outside a window at the nothingness of desert and tents. She wore an elegant beaded Makkah Abaya with intricate patterns upon the edges of the hood. The fabric was dark blue wand the patterns had splashes of purple, red, and green. The lenses of her glasses almost glowed like the powerful sun that was refracting from outside. She looked down at the old porcelain doll that sat with its back to the corner of the window. She pushed her glasses back on her nose and picked up the baby doll up to her face. Its face was shattered from the nose down. Frowning, she placed the doll back as a couple of women approached with their faces completely covered. They touched her shoulder and she smiled up at them as they each took one of her hands in theirs then pulled her to the center of the harem and coaxed her to dance with the many other women. She was twirled by many other women and soon; her face twisted in a smile and she danced, happily.

* * *

"**Love… love cannot be contained. It is an untamed force. When we try to control it, it destroys us. When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. When we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused… like a demon. Love will always find you… You are never alone. Two hearts… two souls… they will always find each other. Through all dimensions… dreamscapes… and even in death. It forges an unbreakable bond that only grows stronger in time. Until two people… two friends… two paradoxes… finally find one another… and when they finally collide… the world is blinded by their resplendent big bang."**

Penny looks towards the pale light of the Chinese lanterns and reaches her towards the muffled light. She moves its shadow against it as she wiggles her fingers. Sheldon's long fingers stroke up the smooth skin of her arm and tangle his fingers with hers. His naked form presses against her back under the comforter and he nuzzles her neck. She bites down on her lip as she spins in his grip as her hand almost mimicked her body. Sheldon pulled her hand to his lips and began to kiss at her wrist. His lips went further up her arm until their lips lead to a very luscious tongue kiss and the two find themselves in yet another throe of passion. His blue aura and her green aura spark and clash in a harmonious wave of euphoria. Their palms pressed together as their fingers thread through and neatly tuck into one another... every single part of their bodies seem to merge... making them one... together... as they were meant to be.


End file.
